Shadow of the Reaper
by DiscordianSamba
Summary: AU. Reapers, Deathbringers. Many strange mythos around those who can cause death, and young Jazz Masters has never believed them to be true. However, she soon finds that there are many things that she doesn't know about both her father and older brother. CANCELED.
1. The Family

**AN: **Yes, I know. I promised myself that I wouldn't start another new story beyond the one's I've already started. But this one isn't exactly new, per say, it's actually a replacement story for For Whom the Bell Tolls, which, I'm sad to say, didn't work out plot-wise for me in the end. So instead, I bring you this story, a very different kind of Reaper story. Note that in this story, Reaper is actually a race, a type of mutation that shows up every once in awhile in people, and not specifically like the Grim Reaper. The concept was fun to toy with, as well was Danny.

Danny is the older brother of Jazz in this particular fiction. Why might you ask? Well, it's simple. The entire fiction works better this way. Their relationship now makes more sense for the fic than it would if I had done it the other way around. Plus, twelve-year old Jazz is cute. Come on. You all know she is?

Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, and I'm not making any money off of this. Just lots of yummy reviews that make me happy. Yes, that is a hint that you should leave reviews. Cause I love all of em!

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Shadow of the Reaper

Chapter One: The Family

He told her that she had died in a car accident.

At the age of twelve, Jasmine Masters had never once met her mother. Well, not that she could remember, at least. She was sure she had met the red-haired woman when she was a baby, before the accident. She had heard stories from her father about what a wonderful, extraordinary woman she was, and how much she reminded him of her.

Jazz seemed to be the apple of her father's eye. And her father wasn't just any man, oh no. He was perhaps one of the most well-known men in the country, and the girl didn't just think that because she loved him. It was true. Everyone knew that Vlad Masters was one of the richest men in the United States. He had done great things with his wealth as well, that had brought him even more to the public eye.

Still, there were times when Jazz wondered about him. Other children knew what their fathers did, but Jazz had never learned what hers did. Or at least, not exactly. She knew he was involved in business, but she was never certain what exactly. He had told her stocks, once, but at the time she was too young to even know what those were, and had long since forgotten the explanation.

She loved her father all the same though. He was the man she held with most respect and adoration in her life. She loved to spend time with him, listen to him talk, telling her various stories from his life growing up, stories from books he had read (which she suspected were watered down for her ears, but she never commented on that suspicion), and other interesting things he knew of.

Jazz especially loved the stories about her mother.

Madeline. That was her name. Most of those who knew her had called her Maddie. She was a fiercely independent woman, but at the same time, she was the most loving person on Earth. She was always ready to open her arms up for anyone who was in need. Jazz knew that she loved her very much, because her father told her over and over again that she did.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder why there were no pictures of the four of them together. She thought that maybe there would at least be some pictures of her parents and her older brother, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find any of them. For that matter, there weren't any pictures of her brother in the album since before he turned six, around the time she was born.

It was nothing she was worried about, really. It was more of just a curiosity.

She smiled as she thought of her older brother, shutting the photo album that she had been leafing through closed, her aqua eyes closing in happiness.

She curled up on her chair, happily drawing her aqua-stockinged knees up to her chest, and wrapping her arms around them. Her firey orange hair fell down behind her, an aqua headband placed in it to keep it neat. She was dressed in her school's uniform-a white dress shirt, with an aqua tie, and a cute blue skirt.

Her brother. He would be coming home again today, she thought happily to herself. She always wondered where he went on those times when he didn't come home, but her father didn't seem bothered by it, and so neither was she. Her father, in fact, seemed to know exactly where his son went, and approved highly of whatever it was that he was doing. He always told her when he was ready to come home, letting her excitement build as it was now. Seeing her eager face made the white-haired man smile.

"He'll be home when you come from school." he had told her this morning, and Jazz's heart had been pounding with excitement since then. She wanted the day to go by in a rush, not wanting to have to wait the eight long hours it would take for her schooling to be finished. She wanted to find a way to jump through time, so that she could skip the day, and cut to seeing her brother again.

He had been gone for a week this time. Her father said that he was in Chicago. She wondered what he could be doing in Illinois, but she was too young yet to let it really trouble her.

Jazz loved her brother very much. He was the second most important man in her world, and she felt that she could always go to him whenever she had a problem. One could tell that her older brother loved his sister very much as well, always making sure that everything went well for her. He was fiercely protective of her, and simply enjoyed spending time with her.

Daniel was his name, but nobody really called him that. It was always Danny, and he was quick to correct them if they called him anything else. Only her father, the formal man that he was, still called him Daniel, just as he called Jazz by her full name.

He had to be the most interesting person that the young girl had ever met. It wasn't just his looks, for those were quite interesting in and of themselves. For how many other people did she know that had hair that came in two colors, or eyes for that matter. Some people thought it bizarre, Jazz thought it was beautiful. She loved the sudden dramatic change in his hair color-it was all black as night up until his mid-neck, where it suddenly turned into a strange snow white. His eyes were wonderful to her as well, his left ice blue, and his right a bright green, both like she never saw in anyone else. They almost glowed in the dark, and seemed to have an almost natural shadow about them that Jazz found appealing.

Most didn't see his real eyes though, for he wore colored contacts that made both a plain blue. No one seemed to believe that his hair had started to grow white naturally, always assuming that he dyed it that way. Jazz wasn't so sure why they thought it was strange-she sure didn't see anything odd about it.

His personality only added to her fascination with her brother. He was always kind to her, always protective, and always willing to lend a helping hand whenever he could. Just like an older brother should, she thought. Though she had to admit there were times when her brother scared her, just a bit. His temper, though it had a long fuse, was terrifying when it was let loose, and there were other times when he could just be downright creepy. Jazz suspected that the latter came from too many horror movies.

"Jasmine? You're going to be late for school." Her father's voice interrupted her thoughts, as he poked his head into her room, a soft smile coming over his face as he looked upon his daughter. "Excited, aren't you?"

She nodded rapidly, practically bounding off the chair. The seventh-grader spun in a circle once, her black Mary Jane's making a clicking sound against the stone flooring of her room. "Of course! I can't wait to see Danny again. It feels like he's been gone forever! Do you think he'll bring me back something this time too?"

"Who knows?" Vlad shrugged, reaching out and taking his daughter's hand. The young girl happily took it, swinging it as he escorted her out to the limo that was waiting. "Just don't let your excitement distract you from your schoolwork." He advised her, before smiling again and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Okay!" Jazz nodded again, giving her father's hand a squeeze. "I'll try my best! Bye Daddy!" She stood up on her tip-toes, pecking the leaning man on the cheek before she got into the limo, wondering how on earth she was ever going to manage to keep her promise.

* * *

A tired sigh escaped from the lips of a blue-eyed teen as he slid comfortably into his seat on the airplane, his eyes closing as he stretched his long legs out in front of him, placing his hands behind his head. "Man... You'd think after all this time, that bastard would send someone else to do his dirty work."

He sighed again, his breath blowing his black bangs briefly away from his left eye, before they once again settled over it. He shifted, adjusting his braid so that he no longer sat on the silver ring that the end of his white hair was tied to.

He was certainly a strange sight for the other first class passengers to behold. It wasn't every day you saw an eighteen-year old with dual-colored hair, sitting in a section that one was usually accustomed to seeing older men clad in business suits in. They all cast glances at him, at the black tank top he wore, coupled with black and dark gray striped armwarmers, gray camo pants and black combat boots. Pale green crystal-like earrings hung from his ears, and a silver chain with a jagged pendent hung from his neck, along with what appeared almost to be a dark gray cape tied around his waist, the fabric torn slightly at the bottom.

Most could, however, after their initial onset of shock, recognize him. He was the son of Vlad Masters, one of the richest people in America. He was reported to be a rather lenient father, his son popping up practically all of the country on all days of the week, including those when he should be in school.

Whispers, as always, circulated the cabin, both from those in first class and the stewardess who walked through it. Danny ignored them, as he always did, his aching body glad for the comfort of the cushy seats. He yawned now, making himself more comfortable in the seats. It wouldn't be too long before he arrived back in Wisconsin, and he wanted to enjoy his time away from his father and his job as much as he possibly could.

He laughed then, causing the person sitting next to him to eye him with uncertainty. The strange look didn't faze him, however, and he continued to do what he pleased, and in this case it was thinking about the man that he was forced to call his father.

Vlad had fooled the entire world into thinking that Danny was truly his son, and that his younger sister was truly his daughter. But in fact, they weren't even slightly related, and Danny knew it. He had been six when the man had taken him from his true parents, upon discovering what exactly their son was.

Danny wasn't human. Well... he was, somewhat, but one would be very hard put to truly consider him one. There were things, so many things, that he could do that other humans could not-and he wasn't alone among them. The teenager was a Reaper, a Deathbringer. He was marked as one by the bizarre scars on his upper back, standing out from all the other scars that dotted his torso.

No one was quite sure how many Reaper their were, nor why they truly existed. Frankly, Danny had stopped caring after awhile. He had long since gone through his periods of self-doubt, self-hate, and a rather bloody period of self-mutilation, in which he attempted to kill himself more times than he could remember. Growing up, he had been almost too certain that he would never be able to reach the level of self-acceptance that he was at now-he would always be a monster to himself, a murderer.

And he was. He didn't deny it. He didn't deny that he largely had regrets about what he was made to do, but he had realized that he had to learn to accept it. He was a Reaper. He had been born that way, and no amount of blood loss could cure that. It wasn't an easy thing for him to come to terms with, but he had managed to.

Reapers, Deathbringers. Strange creatures, strange humans, if one could even call them as such. All of them possessed enhanced speed, strength, stamina, and agility that set them apart from humans. They were born with symbols carved into various places on their body, as well as other traits one normally wouldn't find on a human-such as his true eyes, or his hair color. They could summon a weapon, what kind varied between them.

No one had quite figured out where the weapon itself came from-most theorized that it was part of their souls, and that sounded like a likely enough explanation. Danny's was a rather strange weapon, befitting the rather strange boy-the black-handled weapon was a scythe and a pike merged, a jagged scythe blade residing at the top of the pole, and a pike at the bottom. A glowing green chain wrapped halfway around it, ending in a little ball that seemed to collect souls. Danny wondered sometimes what would happen if he were ever to break it, but he wasn't too keen on finding that out directly.

Reapers possessed powers that could be best defined as ghost-like. They varied from Reaper to Reaper, and Danny himself possessed the powers of invisibility, intangibility, levitation, and flight. He had a unique sense that he hadn't heard of in any Reaper before him as well-he could see those whose deaths were coming soon. A black aura, that he saw all too often while working.

And all of the possessed the ability to kill. Now, one might not think that to be anything special-for surely everyone could do that. But Danny would like to see everyone cause someone's head to implode from across the room, or to cause someone to turn the trigger of their gun on themselves. Once again, the way the various Reapers delivered death to their victims varied between them. Many enjoyed relying on their powers, and the sense of almost playing god that it brought to them. A few, however, preferred to do it the old fashioned way-with weapons and hand-to-hand combat. Danny was one of the latter-he preferred to at least give those who he was forced to condemn to death a fighting chance.

What most people didn't know about the rich and powerful Vlad Masters was how he had gotten that way. It wasn't from stocks and smart investments that he would like everyone to believe, oh no. It was from the fact that he was the leader of a criminal organization, that made deals with those in power-and killed anyone who stood in it's way.

That's why he had taken Danny. Who better to do the dirty work than someone born to kill? The man's logic made the Reaper's stomach churn. He wished at times that he at least might have left his newborn sister with his parents, but he wasn't about to let another potential Reaper slip through his fingers. Danny was grateful that Jazz had never shown any Reaper abilities. He didn't know how the girl would handle having to be one.

It was a hint of irony that the his pseudo father used to know both of Danny's true parents in college, and in fact, was quite bitter about the fact that his mother had ultimately chosen his father.

Sometimes Danny seriously wondered why the crime lord didn't simply order for them to kill Jack-the man that was really his father. In the end, he was grateful that Vlad had merely whipped their memories clean of their children's existence. He knew that if he ever changed his mind, however, he would most likely be the one forced to do the job.

So he only could pray that he didn't.

The Reaper closed his eyes and heaved another sigh, lowering his hands from behind his head and cracking his knuckles. While he didn't get as tired as humans did, he was inexhaustible. He had been up for a large part of the last week, busy hunting down a small group of the organization's traitors that were trying to hide in this city. They were terribly good at hiding, and so now there was nothing more that he wanted than a good night's sleep.

The Reaper yawned again. Now was one of those times he wished he could be one of those people that could fall asleep just about anywhere. But alas, he only seemed to be able to sleep if he was in an actual bed, and so he would have to wait until the end of the day to be able to catch some sleep. For surely, neither Vlad nor his sister would let him sleep until then.

He smiled then, thinking of his little sister. If there was one person in that accursed castle he lived in that he loved, it would be her. She was sweet and innocent, untouched by the corruption that run rampant in the castle, untouched by Danny's own corruption. She was unaware of everything that went on behind the scenes, and actually agreed with his pseudo father that it was likely for the best if she didn't know.

It wasn't that Danny was ashamed of what he was, and what he did. It wasn't that he liked his job either, and he did at times prefer death to having to kill someone again. But he didn't want to hurt Jazz. In a way, she was all he had left to really root him in his humanity, for he was one, in part. He didn't want to let her go, and he didn't want to see her get hurt. And he knew she would be if she discovered everything about her life was a lie. If she discovered her 'father' that she loved so much was a criminal, and her brother that she loved just as well wasn't even human, much less a murderer.

The roaring of the engine's snapped him out of his thoughts, his eyes opening and glancing out the opened window. The plane was about to take off, and he let out a sigh as he saw that. It wouldn't be long before he was home... or rather, back to his prison.

One might wonder why he didn't simply try to escape, and take Jazz with him. He knew where his parents lived, so why? The truth was that he had tried before. It wasn't fear of rejection by his parents that kept him away, that had caused his attempts to fail-he had long since discarded the idea that they could ever hate him. Rather, it was the fact that he simply couldn't- despite the fact that the boy was much more powerful than his pseudo father, the older man still had more resources. Every attempt he had made to leave had been foiled, and he didn't like to think about the punishments he received afterwards.

He glanced about the cabin as the plane took off. It was largely empty, and he noticed with slight amusement that the person who had been sitting next to him earlier had moved. _Ah well. _He thought. _More room for me._

He yawned again. Maybe he really _should _trying getting a little sleep.

* * *

AN: See I can end in something that's not really a cliffhanger! Geez. Also, check out the art for this story! (take the spaces out of the links to make them work)-

Casper Private Uniformed Group- www. deviantart. com / deviation/ 40473026 /

Reaper Danny- www. deviantart .com/ deviation/ 40450145 /

I needs sleep...


	2. Casper Private

**AN**: (Strikes a pose) Chapter Two, everyone! We have the characters of Paulina and Valerie making their appearances in this chapter, and Danny and Jazzy go to school! The very uber swanky Casper Private. It's so swanky that half of us could never ever afford to get into it. I like creating private schools. xD

And phoenixstarr44 has been very generous to me! So I display to you, three wonderful pieces of fanart that she's done for it! (dramatic pose) Go give her love and appreciation, k? Remember to take the spaces out of the links!

www. deviantart. com / deviation / 41192683 / (Reaper Danny with the original, and other AU version of teh Dan-Man.)

www. deviantart. com / deviation / 40911990 / (Wow... Casper Private must not have a weapon's policy. xD)

www. deviantart. com / deviation/ 41201656 / (Okay, this is just adorable and makes my internal organs go SQUEE.)

As always, Danny Phantom belong to Butch Hartman! Please leave reviews everyone! They mean a lot to me!

Oh, and thanks to Taylor the Weird for pointing out a stupid name mistake I made. xD

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Shadow of the Reaper

Chapter Two: Casper Private

"Daniel! How good it is to see you again. I trust that your trip went well?" Vlad Masters asked, looking at the Reaper who had just strolled into his mansion, a black duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and a rather tired look on his face. Doubtless that the boy hadn't slept a wink in the past few days. If he were anyone else, the fact that he was still standing would be considered amazing.

"You can drop the caring father act, _father_. Nobody's here." Danny shot at him, glaring at the older man.

"Oh, but Daniel, you know that I do consider you my son, don't you?" The man asked, wearing a rather chilling smile.

"Yeah, just so you don't have to pay me like you do with your other goons." Danny shot back.

"Ah, Daniel. There's that wit of yours." Vlad said, his voice amused, the chilling smile he wore not leaving his face even for a second. "Now. As for your trip, I'm sure you handled all business that was necessary, right? I'd hate to find any loose ends..."

"They're all dead." The Reaper snapped. "I might hate my job, but don't question my results. It's what you kidnapped me for, after all."

"Yes, I know. You've never failed me once." Vlad patted the boy on the shoulder, piercing blue eyes staring amusedly into the false blue eyes of his false son.

Danny glared at him, shrugging the man's arm off of his shoulder. "Kindly refrain from touching me,_ father_."

The older man gave a clearly fake sigh, looking at him in mock depression. "Ah, Daniel. I had hoped that you would come to accept me as your younger sister has."

"She only accepts you because she doesn't know anything." Danny retorted, his angry gaze not dropping from Vlad's. "If she knew who you really were, and what you did, if she knew that you kidnapped us, then she wouldn't think twice about dropping all of the love she had built up from you and your lies."

"You say that, and yet your almost in the same boat as I am, Daniel." Vlad's tone was slightly amused now, the corner's of his mouth turned in a slight smirk. "What do you think your beloved little sister would think about you if she knew what you really did, what you really are? What do think she'd do if she found out exactly why you leave so much, hm?"

"It wouldn't matter." The Reaper snapped back. "Jazz would love me anyways. I'm her brother."

"And you're also a murderer." Vlad said cooly, his ice blue eyes not dropping away from the younger male's face either. "You can make a person's head explode from across the room. You're hardly normal, and in fact, I'm quite sure that if Jazz knew your secret, she'd be terrified of you." His smirk grew. "And that would be why you've never told her about what you are, isn't it?"

Danny continued to glare at him, but he otherwise remained silent. He knew what he was saying was true, and worse, Vlad knew it too. He was honestly terrified of his sister finding out the truth about him-not so much as what he was, for that in itself wasn't as bad as one might think it to be. Being a Reaper didn't instantly make you a killer, you just had the potential to be one-and a very good one at that.

No, his fears came more along the lines of what he did. Even if Vlad ordered him too, he could simply just walk away... he could take Jazz and flee from this place. He was eighteen, he could survive on his own now, after all. He didn't need to stay here, and he didn't want too, not in the least. He didn't want Jazz around here any longer either. It was almost a miracle, to him, that she hadn't found anything suspicious in the house that would get her into trouble. He knew Vlad had no great love for the girl.

And therein lay part of the crime lord's hold over the young Reaper. So long as he kept Jazz, so long as he held the silent threat of being able to hurt her over his head, there wasn't much he could do. For he loved his sister, and he would be like to kill himself if anything should ever happen to her, that he could have possibly prevented. He didn't want to see her get hurt. So he had to stay. He had to do what Vlad told him.

Of course, there were more reasons than just that, but... He dropped his gaze from Vlad, walking away from him in silent irritation. If there was one thing Vlad Masters knew how to do... it was keeping him in line.

He knew all too well what would happen should he ever attempt to leave.

All too well.

* * *

"Ah, Mr. Masters. How nice of you to join us after such a long absence. I was beginning to forget what you looked like." Mr. Lancer commented, his eyes falling upon the rather sour-looking student entering his classroom, about one week and twenty minutes late.

"Sorry." Danny said, looking tiredly at the teacher. _I swear... one day, I'm going to poison Vlad's food. I cannot believe he sent me to school after that job! Education is more important than sleep... Bull. I think he just likes annoying the crap out of me._

"And what's the explanation this time?" Mr. Lancer arched his eyebrow, crossing his arms over his plump belly. "You didn't get abducted by aliens again, did you?"

"I only gave you that excuse once, and it was when I was in the first grade." The Reaper shot back at the old man. Why did it always seem that the adults in his life seemed intent on making his life hell? Whether it was at home or at school, he simply wasn't able to escape from them.

Mr. Lancer said nothing, only motioning for the young Reaper to take his seat. Danny muttered something incomprehensible under his breath, and took it, propping his feet up on the desk, and leaning his head back against the wall. He loosened the black tie of his school uniform (not that he wore it properly, but most of the administration had given up on trying to get him to wear it right), and folded his arms behind his head, covered with white and pale gray armwarmers.

The teacher cast an annoyed look at Danny, before he heaved a sigh and went back to the lesson. After being his English teacher for nearly the boy's entire academic career, he had learned how futile it was to stop him from sleeping in class-but that didn't mean he wouldn't give him a detention when he woke up.

"Psst."

Danny's eyes flickered open, made blue from the colored contacts he was wearing. He glanced over in sleepily curiosity to the voice that was calling him, and sighed irritably as he looked at the girl sitting next to him.

"Hey Danny." The Latino girl said cheerfully, her dark hair held back by pink barrettes. "Everyone missed you while you were gone. Where did you go?" She pouted, her blue eyes sad. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving? Aren't we close?"

"If by close, you mean in your delusions, then yes. We're close. But if you mean close as in reality, then no, Paulina, we are not." Danny rolled his eyes, looking at her. "And since when did I ever tell you I was going somewhere?"

"Since we started dating!" The girl said chipperly, entirely missing the first three sentences.

"...right..." Danny stared at her blankly. "Have you ever thought of going to see a psychologist about those delusions of yours? I only dated you once, and that was back when I was fourteen, and stupid."

Hurt, the girl looked away from him, burying her head back into her textbook, which doubtlessly had the latest issue of _Seventeen_ tucked away inside. Danny rolled his eyes and turned his head away, staring blankly at the board for a few moments. He shut his eyes then, yawning. Doubtless Paulina would recover by the time that the class was over, and would once again be in her happy, if not delusional and slightly creepy, little world. She seriously did need to think about seeing a therapist.

Paulina Sanchez. The girl had once meant everything to him, back when he was a freshman, but now, he found that he cared absolutely nothing for her. Except for maybe worry that one day she might try and kidnap him. While Danny had plenty of fangirls on the campus, Paulina had to be the worst, as well as the most popular. People almost expected the two of them to be together-so it wasn't all that surprising, when he thought about it, that Paulina thought he was her boyfriend.

Danny had never really fully understood why some people-or quite a few, at any rate- at this school seemed to almost idolize him. He had never desired popularity, but he had gotten it anyways. At first he thought that it was just because his 'father' was not only the richest man in town, but also the richest man in the country, had something to do with it. But he had noticed that Jazz didn't seem quite as idolized, and so he had thrown that theory out the window.

It might have something to do with how his life might appear to an outsider. He was certainly unique. The fact that he disappeared so often might have something to do with it as well. But then again, wouldn't people treat him more as a freak because of that? Maybe it was a combination of that, and his 'father's' fame-instead of weird, it made him eccentric. And eccentric was apparently a good thing.

He didn't think he would ever understand normal people. Wasn't quite sure that he wanted to, either.

* * *

Meanwhile, across the campus, one Jazz Fenton sat rather distractedly in her seat, fiddling incessantly with the fringe of her skirt. How could it only be third period? She still had half the day ahead of her! She wanted to go and see her brother now-it wasn't fair that she had to wait so long to see him!

"Mmmmmrrrr..." Jazz moaned in annoyance, chewing impatiently on her lip. Her gaze drifted over towards the cloak, for the fifth time during this period alone. She felt her heart leap in joy as she noticed that it was now almost time for the dismissal bell to ring. That would mean that her next period would be lunch.

Word got around Casper Private very quickly. It was almost as if there was a psychic link-up among the students there, through which rumors and news were constantly filtered through. A few minutes into third period, Jazz had learned that not only had her brother returned home, but that her father had sent him to school. Part of her wished that her father would have let Danny get some sleep after his long trip, for he must have been exhausted, but the other part of her simply couldn't wait to see him again.

A plan formed in the back of her mind-it was a familiar plan by now. Danny had gym class next period. With an hour-long lunch, Jazz could easily make it across campus and back, before anyone would really notice that she was missing.

Though the Casper Private campus consisted of all grades, pre-K through twelve, the campuses were sectioned off, and gated apart from each other. The entire school itself was gated all around, and Jazz thought it was ridiculous that there were more gates within the already-gated area. But the school did almost exclusively cater to the upper class, giving out the rare scholarship here and there, so it was only natural that the design of the campus would suit the rather eccentric nature of some of it's patrons.

Each grade section was kept separate from one another. The preschoolers and kindergartners weren't allowed on the elementary school campus, who likewise were not allowed in the middle school campus, which Jazz was in. The middle schoolers were not allowed on the high-school campus-and that was where her older brother was.

Now, one might think the fact that they threatened to give detention to anyone in middle school and above for going into an area forbidden to them might discourage her. But Jazz had long since memorized the layout of the entire school-she knew it like the back of her hand. She had sneaked onto the high school campus time and time again, only to be caught once. And even then, she hadn't really been punished-she had been let go with a warning, which Jazz suspected might have something to do with how much money her father donated to the school.

And so now, content with her plan, the girl eagerly watched the clock, her lesson on the respiratory system all but forgotten. Eagerly clenching and unclenching the fabric of her skirt, her fingers moving around simply to keep her from shouting out in anticipation. Was it just her, or was the bell not ringing when it usually did? Would she be forced to stay in this class for longer than she should? What would happen if it never-

The bell rang then, and Jazz's aqua eyes lit up, quickly grabbing her things and tucking them away into her messenger bag, quickly shutting the flap with the pony painting on it shut and locking it in place. She slung it over her shoulder, bolting out the door before anyone had a chance to talk to her.

A few students exchanged glances with each other, some of the more immature ones nudging each other on the shoulder. Word got around Casper Private very quickly, and everyone there knew just how much the youngest of the Masters children idolized the oldest.

* * *

Danny Masters brushed some of his black bangs out of his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief to be finally out of Mr. Lancer's class. He tilted his head from side to side, cracking his neck, then did likewise with his knuckles. He yawned, shoving his hands inside of his pockets. He paused briefly outside of the classroom, scanning briefly over the various heads filing out of the classrooms next to his.

A faint grin appeared on his lips as he spotted the one he was looking for-a mess of chocolate-colored hair sticking out from underneath an orange bandana. "Valerie!" He called out, easily working his way through the crowded halls to greet the African-American female.

She stopped, stepping to the side so that she didn't block hallway traffic. An almost amused half-grin appeared on her face as she saw him, placing one of her hands on her hip. "Well, well. Look who finally shows up for school!" She laughed, dark violet crystal earrings bouncing with her hair. "I was beginning to think that one of your father's enemies had you kidnapped."

"Like I'd let them kidnap me." Danny rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "I was busy."

"Doing what?" She asked, adjusting her messenger bag. She started walking and Danny let out an amused sigh, following behind her.

Valerie Gray. She was one of the few students who attended Casper Private on scholarship. Her father had once worked for the powerful Axion labs-but they had gone out of business about five years ago. After that, her father had thought that he might have to withdraw Valerie from school, but the administration stepped in and offered the girl a full scholarship.

She was also one of the few girls on his grade level that wasn't, to some degree, obsessed with him. Danny largely felt at ease around her... though there were some times when he had this nagging feeling pulling at him to stay away from her. He largely ignored it, however. His instincts might be good, but that hardly meant they were always right.

"Oh you know. Important stuff." He shrugged, dodging a student barging out from the stairwell doors. Honestly, this place might not be as crowded as a public high school, but it seemed that people were determined to smash into you anyways.

"Un-huh." Valerie gave him a look, before turning away with a slight grin, shaking her head. She never could get a straight answer out of this boy. "So, are you going to be coming to practice today, or are you skipping out again?"

Danny crinkled his nose. Damn, he had forgotten that the martial arts team met today. Talk about bad timing-he had already skipped out on the past three practices. Considering that he was co-captain, it wasn't too good for team morale. He glanced over at his co-captain, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry, Valerie, I don't know if I can make it. Vlad's been running me ragged for the past week, and I've barely gotten any sleep in. I'm as tired as all hell."

"Geez." She sighed in irritation, rubbing her forehead. She eyed him. "Just promise that you'll show up at the next practice, allright Danny? It's a bit hard to keep a team together when one of the captains keeps on disappearing." She grinned at him. "Besides, I've got no one that matches me that I can spar with."

"Awww, come on. Who was it just talking about how we should support the team more?" He laughed, shaking his head. "You're weird."

Valerie laughed at that, her white teeth flashing in a grin. "I'm weird?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Daniel Masters, I'm not the one with naturally two-colored hair. I don't think you have any right at all to talk about being weird."

"I'm not weird." The Reaper joked, grinning. "Haven't you heard the rumors? I'm just _eccentric_."

"Is that the new word for crazy these days?" Valerie looked as if she was about to say something else, when she stopped in her tracks, nearly running into someone as she tried to exit the door to the main highschool building. "Um, excuse me..."

That seemed to snap the boy out of his frozen state, and he moved to the side, allowing Danny and Valerie access to the rest of the courtyard.

Which was crowded with students, all staring up at one of the gym walls.

"What's everyone looking at?" Danny frowned, looking around in confusion. He followed the gaze of the student body, a wave of cold panic rushing through his body as his eyes fell upon a red-haired figure clinging tightly to the window ledge, the campus wall unreachable from her location.

"Jazz."

_Shit._

* * *

**AN: **Mmmm... the first cliffhanger of the story! And yes, you'll learn how the heck Jazz even got up there next chapter. And I'm out! I have to go die. But don't worry, I'll respawn soon enough. (grin)


	3. Bond

**AN:** Chapter Three is here! (grins happily and bounds around) I'm quite pleased how this turned out. I just wish that it wasn't so FREAKING COLD IN THIS HOUSE. (cough) Er, sorry. It's just annoying to be the only person in your family that's extremely sensitive to the cold (I should hibernate). And there are some tiny tidbits in this chapter that make some DxV fans happy, but overall, this not going to be a DxV fic. (In case your wondering, Danny will still be paired up with Sam, she just hasn't made her appearance yet, and won't for a bit.)

Also, be expecting yet another new fiction coming from me sometime soon. As another note, I've also gotten under way with the long planned revision of Graveyard Shift. The original GS will be left up as this one (Graveyard Shift Redux) is pretty different from it in several plot points. Just thought I'd let you all know! Also, starting soon, my fanfiction will be sharing my writing focus with an original story called False Paradise, that you can ask me about if you're curious.

Danny Phantom still belongs to Butch Hartman, and I'm still not making any money off of this. As always, read and review! Tucker'll be appearing in the next chapter. And now I'm off to dance to the Numa Numa. Ciao, babies!

* * *

Shadow of the Reaper

Chapter Three: Bond

If Jasmine Masters weren't so terrified right now, she would be cursing herself for her extreme stupidity.

But as it was, she was extremely terrified. But what young girl wouldn't be if she was hanging two stories from the ground, clutching to the edge of a window ledge that didn't even make for a very good handhold? She futilely tried to dig her nails into the slick surface of the building's exterior, closing her eyes and praying to anyone that would listen, praying that she wouldn't die here.

It was hard to believe that only a few minutes prior, she had been happily on the way to see her brother, not a care on her mind, not even when she found out the route she usually used to get into the high school campus was blocked off.

She had been frustrated by the setback, certainly, but it didn't take her long to discover another route onto the campus. And this one was even better than her old one, for it would lead her straight to the gymnasium. She wouldn't have to run across the campus in full view of anyone passing by and risk getting caught. It was brilliant.

Or at least, she thought it was at the time.

The plan involved climbing up a tree that grew next to the wall that surrounded the high school campus. The starting branches were low, and there was just enough space between the thick branches to allow Jazz to climb it easily. There was even a long, thick branch that leaned just over the campus wall.

Climbing the tree had been the easiest part. From there, she had to cross the brick wall, over to where it meet the gymnasium. There had been either some poor planning, or a construction accident when they had built the wall, leaving the gymnasium sticking half outside of the walled-in campus. They had never entirely gone and fixed the mistake, instead simply erecting a smaller wall in the gaps between the gym and the main wall.

Climbing across the wall hadn't been that bad actually. Jazz knew how high up she was, but she resisted the urge to look down. From her perspective (which she knew was most likely heavily influenced by all those survival movies that she liked to watch), looking down instantly meant that you would fall. And that wasn't what she wanted to do at all.

She had made it across the wall, to where it ended in front of the gymnasium. Just a foot or so below her was a window, with a rather wide ledge on it. She also knew from being in there before, that they kept all of the mats piled underneath that particular window, so she was sure that she would have a safe landing once she got in. And as for unlocking the windows, it wouldn't be hard. They opened from the outside, Jazz could see the little hook that held it closed.

All she had to do was lower herself down enough and swing on the ledge.

It looked easy enough. I mean, she had seen her brother makes jumps like that before, so why couldn't she? It wasn't that far.

She had, however, miscalculated. Rather drastically.

And so know she found herself hanging onto the window ledge for dear life. Her situation was made even more grim by the fact that instead of having flat, solid ground beneath her, there was the second wall, which she was still a good ways away from. There was no way she could have a safe landing on it, she was sure of it.

Oh God, she was going to slip, and crack her head open, or even worse... She shut her eyes tighten, and felt her heart pound loudly in her chest, sweat already starting to build up on her hands. She felt herself slip a little, and she let out a panicked scream. The bell had rung by the time she had done so, and so the first wave of people started to notice the young red-haired girl clinging to the window ledge.

Jazz didn't notice, she didn't want to open her eyes. She didn't want to open them, she didn't want to watch herself fall. She she kept them welded shut, biting her lip so hard that it bleed, and continued to pray, which in all truth sounded less of a prayer, and more like a constant repetition of the words '_Please don't let me die, oh God, please don't let me die.'_

Then a voice broke through the sound of her prayer, and she felt a rush of relief as some of the panic was shoved back by the mere sound of it. The sound of her brother's voice calling out her name, trying to get her attention. She forced her eyes open and managed to shakily look downwards, her brother standing as close as he could to being directly underneath her.

"Jazz!" Danny shouted up at her, his blue eyes wide and panicking. Oh god, she looked so terrified up there. And who wouldn't be? He still had no idea how she had managed to get up there of course, but now was definitely not the time to ask.

He felt his heart give way as she slowly opened her eyes to looking shakingly down at him, as best she could. "Jazz!" He heard himself call again, seeing that she seemed to be reassured a little by just the sound of his voice. Valerie had already run to get a teacher, or a ladder, or both, whichever she found first.

"...Danny..."

Jazz's faint whimper made his heart pound all the more. It was so quiet, that he didn't even think he would have heard it if it had not been for the fact that his hearing was better than any human's.

"Jazz, just hang on! I'm going to get you down, allright!?" He shouted up to her. The girl nodded slowly, her aqua eyes still wide with panic. He turned around a bit, searching for anyone with a ladder that could possibly help. Of course, he really could get the girl himself, but he really, really didn't want to use his rather inhuman agility in front of the entire high school division.

A shriek snapped his attention back to his younger sister, and he felt his hear thud straight through his chest as he saw that she had slid, her sweaty fingers now barely clinging to the window ledge. He swore under his breath, seeing her slowly inch further off, seeing the panic in her eyes.

Any second, she would fall.

But he wasn't going to let that happen.

Almost as soon as her fingers lost their connection with the ledge, almost as soon as the first note of her piercing scream had been torn from her lips, he was moving. He easily leaped onto the smaller dividing wall, neatly plucking his little sister out of the air and getting a firm grip on her as he neatly landed back on the smaller wall, not even the slightest bit unbalanced.

He let out a deep sigh of relief as he felt Jazz land securely in his arms, felt her trembling body safe now. She let out a faint whimper, her tightly shut eyes slowly cracking open. He smiled softly at her as he saw her look at him, both seeing and feeling her body relax.

"Danny..." She whispered softly, clinging tightly to her brother's chest, before she passed out from the trauma.

It was then that Valerie arrived with a teacher and a ladder in two, both of them plowing through the stunned crowd and skidding to a stop to see the young girl safely in her older brother's arms.

Valerie let out a deep sigh of relief as she saw this, for she had been deeply fearful for the young girl as well. She didn't know Danny's younger sister as well as she would have liked to, but she was still quite fond of the twelve-year old girl. But how could she not? She was so sweet and full of life, that it was almost impossible to hate her.

"What happened?" She asked Danny as she lowered the ladder to the ground, heading over to stand just below him on the dividing wall. It was about a foot higher than her, so she stood on her tiptoes, outstretching her arms. Without even having being told, Danny carefully lowered his burden down to her. Valerie took the unconscious girl in her arms, cradling her like she would with a baby.

"I caught her." Danny answered, looking down at her. "The sweat on her hands caused her to loose her grip."

Valerie nodded. "I'm just glad she's safe..." She mummered, looking down at the girl, and running a hand through her firey orange hair.

She looked slowly back up at the older Masters child. She was slightly curious at how he had managed to pull such a stunt off without a hitch, but she knew that Daniel Masters wasn't exactly normal.

Everyone knew it, but no one really thought about it overmuch. It didn't make him strange... it made him unique, interesting, and worthy to be obsessed over. Valerie had no doubt that quite a few of the females on the Martial Arts team had merely joined so that they could get closer to him. It wasn't that hard to tell really, especially after Paulina had attempted to join. Everyone knew that the only sport she cared about was cheerleading, and everyone knew her obsession with Danny bordered on stalker-ish levels.

Valerie had her suspicions.

But now wasn't the time to voice them.

Instead, she smiled at him softly. "Danny, take the day off from school. I'll talk to the principal and your teachers myself if I have to. Right now, you should take Jazz home, and put her in bed where she can rest." She gave him a look. "And you too, you look like the walking dead."

"I feel like walking dead." Danny mummered, as he easily leapt down from the secondary wall, landing neatly in a crouch. Somewhere in the background, the two teens could swear they heard fangirlsh squeals. They merely eyed each other, rolling their eyes as they knew Paulina and her troupe were somewhere in the area.

"And I'll distract the rabid fangirls as well." Valerie grinned at him, carefully handing over the younger girl. Danny gratefully took the burden from her, holding her carefully as if he was afraid she would cease to exist if he held her too tightly.

"Valerie..." Danny looked at her, his arms finally tightening around his sister's unconscious form. "Thanks."

"It's not a problem." She grinned, before she walked over to the teacher who had brought the ladder out with her, conferring with him. Danny watched her for another minute, noticing how every so often she motioned back at the two of them. She blinked, turning around a bit as she noticed that he was still standing there, and gave him one of her looks.

Danny shook his head and waved goodbye to her as best he could with his sister cradled in his arms, mumbling a silent 'thank you'. Managing to avoid any of the other students, he left the campus with Jazz.

Once outside the gates of the high school campus, he made his way across to the student parking lot, and towards his vehicle of choice-his motorcycle. Carefully shifting Jazz in his arms, he placed her in front of him, taking out a smaller sized helmet and strapping it on to her. She stirred a bit at the contact, mumbling a bit in her sleep, something that sounded awfully a lot like his name.

Danny couldn't help but grin at that. She really was attached to him. And he was attached to her-she was the only real family that she had anymore. He simply sat there for a moment, wrapping his arms around his little sister, grateful beyond words could describe that she was still alive. He didn't know what he would do if he ever lost her.

Eventually he stirred from his embrace, carefully starting up his motorcycle, putting his arms in a way so that he could keep the small girl safely in his grasp. Casting a brief glance around the parking lot, he let a slight glow envelop his body, as the vehicle and it's riders vanished from sight. He knew that Valerie was talking to the faculty, but he doubted that the gates out of Casper Private would be open yet. And he severely doubted that they would simply open them because he asked them to.

Sometimes being a Reaper came in handy after, he mused, as he phased them through several other cars in the parking lot, and eventually through the wall itself. He didn't turn them all visible again until they were well away from the campus, and well away from anyone who could see a motorcycle and two people appear from seemingly nowhere. As he let go of his powers, his visible aura vanished, like it had never been there in the first place.

The drive back to the Masters mansion was a silent one, for which Danny was secretly grateful for. It gave him time to go over his explanation to Vlad why he had come home early, with an unconscious Jazz in tow. No doubt that the man would hear about it from the school later, but Danny didn't think he could even get into the house without an explanation, Reaper abilities or no.

He took in and let out a deep breath as they pulled up to the mansion, Danny parking the motorcycle outside. He slowly unbuckled the helmet from his younger sister, the girl once more stirring in his arms. He smiled softly down at her, before he scooped her up and headed to the door, carefully ringing the doorbell while balancing the girl in his arms. It wasn't that she was heavy, exactly (though she might for someone of more normal strength), it was just that he wasn't used to moving with her in his arms.

It wasn't long before the his so-called father answered the door himself, taking a long look at the sight before him before he said anything. "...Is there any particular reason that you're home, and your sister is unconscious, Daniel?" He asked, looking between the aforementioned red-head, and the young Reaper.

"There was an accident, and she passed out from shock." Danny shifted the girl's weight in his arms, causing her stir a bit more. "She needs rest. Valerie's covering for me at school."

The man looked at the two for a long moment, a tight frown on his face before he admitted them back into the mansion. "Take her to her room. I'll send someone to look at her shortly." He said, as Danny stepped into the mansion. The Reaper had every intention to keep walking, but Vlad continued to speak to him. "What sort of accident?"

Danny groaned in annoyance. "She somehow ended up clinging to the ledge of one of the gym windows. She slipped, and I caught her. She passed out before I had a chance how she ended up there in the first place."

Vlad looked at him carefully, before he nodded firmly. "Take her on to her room. And don't think that this excuses you from accompanying me to my meeting later today. I need the protection, especially after such a job like you just did."

Danny shot him an annoyed look, but said nothing, and merely carried the small girl to her room. Normally he would have argued the point with the man, saying that there had never once been an attempt on his life at any of the meetings that were held between him and the sub-heads of his organization. And sometimes he won, too. But today, he simply had no room to argue, and so he forced himself to comply for a change.

Pulling the covers up, he settled his sister into her bed, tucking them neatly over her. Grinning, he pulled out her favorite of her stuffed animals, an Einstein-looking teddy bear that she had named Bearbert, and placed it in her arms, his grin widening as she snuggled up with it. As an afterthought, he lifted up the covers again and took off her shoes, so that she could sleep easier, and tucked her back in.

"Rest up Jazz..." He leaned down, planting a light kiss on her forehead. "And try not to get into anymore trouble when you wake up."

* * *

AN: ...did I mention I'm REALLY cold?


	4. Of Clubs and Crime Rings

**AN: **Chapter Four! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. (grins) I almost like about every scene in this chapter, though the brief exchange between Danny and Vlad towards the end of the chapter could probably be better. Ah well. You win some and loose some, right? As always, please read and review! I love you all. (hearts)

I also have three arts!

www. deviantart. com / deviation / 42227083 / (Some members of the SOTR cast that I did for my Halloween picture)

www. deviantart. com / deviation / 42560314 / (Tucker and Valerie in Casper Private Uniforms)

www. deviantart. com / deviation / 40882839 / (And Danny in his clubbing outfit with Tucker in his normal outfit. Yes, I like Tucker with longer hair, shush.)

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman, and I'm not making any money off of this. In fact, I'm terribly, terribly broke...

* * *

Shadow of the Reaper

Chapter Four: Of Clubs and Crime Rings

"Danny?"

"...mmmmm... gimme another hour..." The Reaper moaned softly, turning his head to the side.

Jazz huffed, pouting. She had woken up just a few minutes ago, and now she was sitting on her older brother's lap, trying to get him to wake up. How was she supposed to properly thank him for saving her life if he was asleep? "C'mmmooooonnnn..." She whined, tugging on one of his cheeks. "_Dannnyyy!_"

His eyes twitched, though they remained closed, and he swatted at the young girl's hand. "Stoopit..."

"Mmrr." Jazz crossed her arms, now rather irritated. "Danny, come on! Wake up already!" She whined, letting out a little huff. Her irritated pout disappeared, however, as a mischievous smile replaced it.

She got up off of her brother's lap, and grinning, left the room, quickly hurrying outside the mansion and into the gardener's shed, finding a bucket, and picking it up with a grin. "Well, if he wouldn't wake up by any normal means..." She said cheerfully, clutching the bucket and hurrying back into her room.

She put it under the sink in her bathroom, turning on the cold water and letting it pour into the bucket. She stopped it after awhile, and pulled it out, struggling a bit under its weight. She slowly made her way back over to her sleeping brother.

"Wake up!" She shouted loudly this time, tossing the water from the bucket. Her grin grew as a stunned Danny woke up, his dual-colored eyes snapping open.

"Gah! What the..." His eyes fell upon his grinning little sister, and then trailed down to the bucket she was holding. "Jazz! I thought I told you to stop doing that." He half-lectured her.

"Well then you should have woken up when I told you to the first time." She pointed out, wagging her finger at him. "Really, you brought it on yourself, big brother."

Danny groaned, running a hand through his wet bangs, now completely soaked. He must have fallen asleep waiting for Jazz to wake up. No surprise, really, considering that he hadn't slept for a few days. He heaved a sigh, dropping his hands from his wet hair and looking back down at his little sister with a smile.

She smiled back at him, putting down the bucket. "Thank you, Danny. You saved my life."

"I'm just glad you're allright." He smiled, siting up and scooping the girl up in his arms. She let out a delighted shriek, happily clinging to his neck, the fact that he was soaking wet not bothering her in the least. "Just don't ever do anything that stupid again." He paused, frowning. "You know, whatever it was that you were trying to do. How _did _you get up there anyways?"

Jazz gave him a little pout, clinging tighter to his neck. "I was trying to see you. And there were people at the entrance I normally take to get into your campus so I had to find some other way to get in."

Danny stared at the girl open-mouthed, unable to speak for a moment, his eyes sliding over her in confusion. His grip around her tightened, and he looked carefully into her eyes. "Jazz, why did you that just to see me?"

"Because I missed you." She pouted. "Is that so wrong?"

A smile came over his face then, and he hugged his sister tighter. "No Jazz... that's not wrong at all. Far from it." He kissed her forehead softly as he let the embrace end. "I missed you too."

Jazz smiled at him again, laughing a bit as she held tighter around his neck. "Now carry me to the kitchen! I'm hungry."

Danny continued to smile down at her, glad in ways that he could never express that she was allright. "Allright, allright. But don't expect me to do this all the time. You do have legs." He teased her, carrying her into the kitchen and sitting her down in a chair. "You're hungry? What do you want?"

The girl frowned, leaning her head back and closing her eyes in thought. "Mmm... make me a cheeseburger."

"A cheeseburger?" Danny arched an eyebrow, shaking his head, unable to resist the temptation to smile seeing his sister's grinning face. "Allright, allright. One cheeseburger it is." His smile grew as he saw his sister's face light up, and he gave her a quick peck on the forehead, before he headed to make her requested dinner.

He set it down in front of her in about ten minutes, complete with a bottle of ketchup. "Anything else?" He asked, taking the seat across from her with a grin. This was nice, he felt that he didn't nearly spend as much time with his sister as he should. Vlad always kept him so busy...

Just thinking about the man caused Danny to let out a sigh. He had to go play bodyguard to him tonight again, didn't he? Great. At least he had managed to catch a few hours sleep, though he wished it had been in someplace a bit more comfortable. He had all sorts of superhuman powers, but it seemed he still got sore just as easily as anyone else.

Jazz frowned, her eyebrows furrowing together as she looked over at her older brother. "Something wrong Danny? You look like you have something on your mind."

"Huh?" Danny blinked, looking up at her. He grinned, shaking his head, reaching over the table to ruffle his sister's hair lightly. "No, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

She pouted, her cheeks huffing out. _There he goes again... _she couldn't help but think. Though she loved her brother terribly, she hated it when he started being so secretive. She couldn't deny her curiosity in wanting to know where he went all the time.

It wasn't just a recent thing, Danny had disappeared for days, sometimes even weeks on end as long as she could remember. She asked her father about it sometimes, but he didn't really give her an answer, and always changed the subject.

Jazz hated secrets. These two were her family, why wouldn't they talk to her about something? She hoped it wasn't because they thought she was too young-she knew her teachers said that she could be a lot more mature than anyone else in her class! Surely she could handle knowing what was going on with her father and brother.

"Danny..." She whined, puppy-dog eyes pleading with his. "Why won't you just tell me?"

He looked at his sister, a guilty look washing over his face as he looked at her. God... he wanted to tell her, so badly, but... at the same time, he was afraid that she might never be able to accept him, never be able to forgive him for the things he had done. She was the only real family that he had... and he didn't want to lose her affection for him.

He reached out across the table, sadly ruffling her firey red hair. "I'm sorry, Jazz..." He whispered. "I can't tell you..."

Jazz felt her heart drop in her chest as she saw the look on her brother's face, her eyes dropping down to the ground. His eyes... she couldn't help but think that he looked like he was in so much pain, then. She felt guilty now for trying to get him to talk, and at the same time, she still wished she knew what the matter was, so that she could help him, somehow. He was her only brother, after all, and she would always love him. She couldn't imagine anything ever changing that.

"Daniel."

Both of the Master's children looked up, to see the man that they called father standing at the kitchen door. A slight smile came across his face as his eyes fell on Jazz, and he strolled across the kitchen to ruffle her hair. "Jasmine. I'm so glad to see that you're allright. You gave me quite a scare today."

"I'm sorry..." She muttered, still looking down at the floor. Her legs started swinging a bit, as if to distract herself from how bad she was feeling. She felt guilty for making her family worry, and she felt guilty for bringing something up with her brother that obviously pained him. "I won't do it again..."

Vlad smiled, patting her head. "I'm just glad you're allright." His eyes slid over to her brother, then, his compassionate tone shifting into a much more authoritative voice. "Daniel, we'll be leaving in a few minutes. Please get ready."

Jazz peeked up, looking at her brother from behind her hair. Her eyes caught on his now, locking on them as she saw an unsuppressed display of hate appear in his eyes, as he glared at their father. Jazz watched as he left without giving any word to their father, responding weakly to his own goodbye to her.

Vlad patted her head once more, planting a fatherly kiss on her forehead. "We'll be back in an hour or so, Jasmine. If you need anything, I'm sure one of the staff will be willing to help." With those words, he too, left the kitchen.

Jazz watched both men go, her curiosity about what was going on between the two of them started to build up once more.

* * *

Electric Roses.

It was the name of the most popular club in town. There wasn't a day that passed that the club wasn't filled with all sorts of people, the club in full swing, music always pumping. At night, it seemed like the place was always one big party.

It also happened to contain the meeting quarters of the bosses of Vlad's crime ring.

Danny's eyes, their dual colors now masked by a pair of blue contacts, scanned the crowd of people entering the club. It was almost as if there was some black hole outside the door that just kept on spitting them out into the club. Thank goodness for the fact that the Electric Roses was so large.

As he watched them enter, he couldn't help but wonder if any one of them knew about the secret meetings that were conducted in the club's VIP rooms. Sometimes Danny wondered, too, why Vlad had chosen the most popular club in town to hold such meetings. He figured that the crime lord must subscribe to the theory of 'hiding in plain sight.'

He sighed, leaning back against the wall, his hands shoved in the pockets of his blue jeans, brown bondage belts hanging from them. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore some brief drunken giggles as a pair of girls glanced his way. He really didn't like this place, and he hated the fact that Vlad made him wait outside. He tugged his dark blue ski cap a bit further down his head, his arms covered in a pair of blue and burgundy striped armwarmers.

"Geez, someone looks like he could use a vacation." A familiar voice observed.

A grin split Danny's tense face as he heard the voice, his eyes opening as he pushed himself off the wall, standing up straight to look at his best friend. "Tucker! You're off shift?"

The African-American male rolled his eyes, his mouth set in a grin. "If I wasn't, would the music still be playing?" He asked, his blue eyes staring at his old friend from behind a yellow visor.

"Good point." Danny looked at his friend. He had known Tucker ever since late elementary school, and he was the only one that he trusted completely. The nineteen-year old had graduated from Casper Private last year, a scholarship student much like Valerie. Things hadn't been quite the same around the school since.

Tucker had started to work at Electric Roses as a DJ, as he worked his way through college, going after a technology degree. What degree specifically always escaped Danny, they all sounded kind of the same to him.

Tucker was also the only person who, besides Vlad and several hundred dead corpses or so, knew what he was. It had happened quite on accident, really. It was the eighth grade, and Danny had been a bit to careless. He was going after some minor pest, really, someone who had claimed that they would back Vlad's organization finically, but had fallen through. Danny had no idea why Vlad would be so upset over something as simple as that.

He was unarmed, alone, and Danny had let his guard and his senses down. It was quick-he always tried to make it quick. He left the man's body where it lay-nobody could trace him, in the end. Danny didn't have fingerprints, something he theorized that was shared amongst all of his kind, and his DNA never showed up when someone looked for it-Vlad had checked that.

Needless to say, when he turned around to face the gaping mouth and wide eyes of his best friend, he was both stunned and panicked. He had stood there, almost as frozen as Tucker was. The older boy must have seen something in his eyes, something in face, however, and slowly his mouth closed, and he made his way cautiously over to his best friend.

That conversation had been difficult for Danny. Years later, he still reeled from the shock of having Tucker actually accept him after that. He was really glad he did, too, for he knew that if Vlad ever found out (and he would), then he would be forced to kill him. And he never, ever wanted to do that.

Because Danny had learned years before that, that he never could disobey Vlad's orders.

"Big wigs meeting?" Tucker asked, cocking his head towards the door.

"No, I'm just standing here and looking pretty." Danny arched an eyebrow, teasing his friend.

"Pffft." Tucker shook his head, grinning. "You want me to get you something to drink? And when's the last time you slept, you have circles dark enough under your eyes to pass as a corpse."

"Feel like a corpse." Danny groaned. "I only got about... five or six hours sleep, in a chair. Vlad sent me to school as soon as I got home. Nevermind the fact that I hadn't slept in a _week_."

Tucker's nose crinkled at the thought. "Ugh. I wouldn't be able to move if I hadn't slept in that long. I think I'd be _dead_." He eyed him, playfully nudging the boy. "Then again, that's not too much of a problem for you, is it? I bet you still have enough energy left in you to do one of those Iron Man competitions."

"And show the world the Danny Fenton is a superhuman?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Yeah, I don't think so."

Among other things, Tucker also knew that Danny was actually not Vlad's child, and that the man had kidnapped him and held him prisoner ever since he was a small child. It baffled Tucker why he didn't just take his sister and escape, but...

Well, even with Tucker, there were things that Danny didn't speak about. How Vlad, how his parents, how everyone in Amity Park discovered what he was... and what Vlad did to keep him in line. Those sorts of things no one but he and Vlad needed to know.

"Awww, come on!" Tucker pretended to beg his friend, his eyes mock pleading. "It would be so awesome, wouldn't it? I mean, just think of all the fans and stuff you'd get! You'd be like a rockstar!"

"...Until I got thrown in prisoner for being a murderer, or on top of some government dissection table." Danny pointed out, his voice blunt. His tone, of course, was betrayed by the insuppressible grin on his face.

Then his ears twitched, noises from the other room coming into the sensitive receptors, the smile disappearing as he heard Vlad call his name. Tucker's smile dropped as he saw Danny's expression, as well as his entire body shift, and he knew that something was going on.

Muttering a brief apology to his friend, Danny wasted no time with the door, simply phasing through the wall. Yelps were heard as he appeared like a ghost, and a gun clattered to the floor, dropping uselessly from where it was held at Vlad's head just moments ago.

It was quick work. He always made it quick.

Vlad looked down at the corpses in disgust, brushing off his business suit. He glanced over at the other men, those who had been likewise held at gunpoint, and muttered an annoyed dismissal. They all slowly filed out, and the older man turned to the Reaper.

"Apparently, those people you killed had friends in other place." He frowned. "Seems they thought they could kill me, and take over as head of the organization."

"And of course I don't get a thank you for saving your life." Danny muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"It's your job." Vlad stated firmly. "And you'll be doing this one for a bit longer. I sincerely doubt that was all of them-they said so themselves that they had more members should we take them down."

The crime lord gave a critical look at the young Reaper. "You should have given them more to fear when you killed those men. A good theatrical display would have sent them running off and we'd never be bothered by them-are you listening?" Vlad's looked at him in annoyance, seeing the distant look on the boy's face.

Danny had stopped listening the moment that Vlad said they had more, an uneasy feeling crawling up his spine. "I have to go..." He muttered quietly, turning quickly on his heels, leaving in a rush. He said not a word, not even as he passed Tucker, quickly hurrying to his motorcycle and hopping on.

He arrived back at the Masters mansion quickly, no doubt going far over the speed limit. He cursed, the door to the mansion ajar and rushed in. "_Jazz!_" He called out, hurrying to her room, skidding to a stop just outside her door.

He didn't have to see the bed in disarray, the chair next to it overturned. He didn't have to see the note left behind. He saw she wasn't there.

And knew.

They had taken Jazz.


	5. Hell Hath No Fury

**AN: **I'M BACK! Well, at least for Spring Break. This last leg of my senior year in high school has really been taking a toll on my time to actually sit down and write guys, so I'm REALLY REALLY sorry for all of the lags in updates. You know... I do have a life outside of fanfiction (_INCONCIVIEABLE!_) But, for Spring Break, I should be able to get at least a few stories updated.

* * *

Shadow of the Reaper

Chapter Five: Hell Hath No Fury

"Jazz..." His sister's name escaped from the Reaper's lips like a breath, his dual-colored eyes staring down at the bed in horror. He let out a few ragged breaths, frozen where he stood for the moment. And then as suddenly as he had froze, he was moving again, crossing the room quickly. He stopped in front of the bed, his eyes quickly scanning it's contents.

It was just as he had suspected-a ransom note. He cursed viciously underneath his breath, crumpling to note up in his hands. His entire body shook violently, quaking in rage that was building up inside of him. He let out an aggravated howl, striking out with his fist and punching the wall next to him with such a force that the entire wall trembled, the pictures hanging on it falling and shattering against the ground.

Danny was pissed. There was no way to see it otherwise.

It was then that Vlad entered, surveying the room with a deep frown. His eyes fell on the disarray of the bed, on the clear signs that there had been a struggle, and at last the crumpled note in the Reaper's hands. It didn't take him too long to determine what had happened here, either.

"Now, Now, Daniel." His voice was smooth as he spoke, calm. "Loosing your temper won't do anything to help her. And I don't intend to fix anymore holes in my walls, so I do hope you turn your anger into something a bit more constructive."

Danny glared back at him, his dual-colored eyes flashing in anger. "How can you be so calm?!" He hissed at him, as he whipped around to face him. "You really _are_ a heartless bastard, aren't you!?"

Vlad stared down the raging Reaper rather calmly, his cool blue eyes betraying no sign of emotion. "No. I'd just prefer if you didn't try to destroy half of my mansion in a blind fit of rage." His lips twisted in a slight frown. "If you really do want to let it out, why not go after them? Since I'm sure you can imagine that I have no intentions of paying any ransoms."

Danny sent a last glare at the man, opening up his mouth to say something back to him. However, he quickly shut it. Dammnit, but Vlad was right. He hated when that happened, but Vlad was right. He was angry, there was no sense in denying that. So why not use his anger to do something a bit more constructive- like getting Jazz back from those bastards? Who knows what they could do to her in the time it might have taken him to cool down otherwise.

Just thinking about what they might do to Jazz was enough reason for Danny. She was his little sister, his twelve year old sister. He was supposed to protect her from everything, and he had failed in doing so. Of course, it was because he had to protect _Vlad_ that he had failed, so in the end he was angrier at the man that stood in front of him instead of himself.

"_Fine._" Danny spat out, his dual-colored eyes blazing. "I'm going after her, but _not _to save _you _any of _your _stupid money."

"I would expect as much." Vlad replied cooly, watching the Reaper leave. From Jazz's room, he could hear him half-run over one of his maids in his rush to get to his door and out to his motorcycle.

The crime lord shook his head, terribly amused for some reason. He chuckled a bit. "Well... this should make for an interesting turn of events, won't it?" It was almost as if he was talking to someone, even though no one else was there.

Or seemed to be. A faint laugh was heard then in response to Vlad's words, a pair of turquoise eyes opening up in the dark room. "Very..." The owner of the eyes turned, peering out the window as he watched the young Reaper speed off towards where the ransom was going to be collected.

The clouds opened up then, moonlight exposing the shadows in which the owner of the voice hid. Turquoise crystal earrings, almost exactly like the ones Danny wore, glittered on it's ears, an amused smirk on it's face. "Very interesting..."

Vlad's eyes carefully observed the strange man in front of him- no, this wasn't a man, he had to remind himself. Nor was it quite a woman, despite the fact that it wore a rather feminine pink and white gothic Lolita outfit, and despite the fact that it's wavy hair was bubblegum pink. This creature, this ivory-skinned thing... had no gender.

It's name was Gokai, and without it, Vlad might have never known about Daniel Fenton. He might have never learned about the awesome power locked within the boy... and he might never have learned exactly what he had to do to let it out. It was this creature who told Vlad exactly what he needed to know to guide Danny in his training.

But he had never been quite told why Gokai wanted any of this.

Over the forty years he had spent on this Earth, Vlad had gotten to know many different kinds of people. He prided himself on his ability to know exactly what it was that both his allies and his enemies were thinking, what they might be plotting next. He was simply that kind of man, Vlad was. He could see through people.

Gokai was one of two people that Vlad couldn't do that with. He knew the creature had it's own agenda. And he certainly didn't trust it. He would have to have been a fool to do that. No, Gokai wasn't what Vlad could call an ally. Nor was he an enemy, for at the moment, they both seemed to be working to each other's mutual advantage.

But whether or not that would last, Vlad was uncertain of. And he was prepared for it if their goals ever clashed.

After all, Deathbringers were _hardly _invincible.

* * *

The night sky streaked past him, headlights, streetlights, neon signs, and stars, they all blurred together in a rush of light as Danny sped down the street, narrowly missing several car accidents... which was more than could be said those behind him. None of this even seemed to register with him however, his mind was entirely set on one thing-freeing his little sister.

Soon downtown was well behind him, and he was working his way towards the more seedier parts of town, filled with bars of ill repute, hookers and whorehouses. And also, as he knew from his previous ventures into this part of town, home to not only some very notorious crooks, but now to his father's new enemies.

He was angry. He was downright pissed, to be precise. But that didn't mean he wasn't thinking, at least a little bit. He knew these men that Vlad worked with. He knew that they were just as rotten as he was, and that they wouldn't think twice to double-cross someone, if it worked to their advantage. And by taking Jazz, they thought they had that advantage.

Chances were, they probably had no intention of giving her back to them. In fact, she probably wasn't even anywhere near the ransom site. That was just another trap lying in wait for them. These were the type of men who would do anything to get their hands on power.

Anything.

Even killing a little girl.

And that's why he knew that he had very little time, if any, to waste.

He snapped out of his thoughts then, suddenly skidding his motorcycle to a halt. He looked back, cursing a little underneath his breath as he realized that he had just shot past their hideout. He was sure that they had people guarding it, and there was no way that they wouldn't think a motorcycle zipping past them at high speeds wasn't suspicious. Well, so much for the element of surprise.

He shook his head, bringing the motorcycle to a stop along the sidewalk and parking it there. He looked back towards the building, a small look of disgust appearing on his face. "Bastards." He said to himself, brushing his bangs out of his face. "Next time, pick someone else's sister to kidnap..."

Almost heedless of who may have been looking, the Reaper turned invisible, hiding himself from sight as he approached the building. He looked around once he had gotten there, and then preceded to phase in through the wall.

"Hm." He looked around, turning visible as he stepped inside. His dual-colored eyes scanned the dark room, glowing brightly in the dark. He frowned, there didn't seem to be anyone in here. He took a few steps forward, his eyes still continuing to slide cautiously over the room. True, it would take more than it would a normal person, but he could still die. And that was not exactly something he was planning to do.

He would have to be more careful here than he would have to be on a normal job, though. These people had worked with Vlad for a long time, and they _knew _that he was far from normal. He knew that they might very well be expecting him, too. The thought that this all might be a trap had occurred to them- that they had devised some way to hold him, and planned to double the ransom for both him and Jazz.

Faint voices tugged at his ears then and his eyes narrowed, taking another quite step forward. He frowned deeper, listening to the indistinct whispers from outside the door. They were quiet enough that a normal human's ears would have never picked them up. He stopped moving then, his eyes locked on the closed door of the room. He was sure now- there had to be someone on the other side of that door waiting for him to come out. They were listening to the sound of his feet as he came closer, most likely.

A small smirk formed on his face, looking rather amused. _Well... they can't hear me walking if I'm not on the ground._ His body turned invisible then, as his feet lifted up off the ground. He hovered above it for awhile, until he heard a few more quick whispers. They sounded a little confused, and Danny stuck his head outside the wall, peering down.

Just as he had suspected, there were two men waiting outside the door there. Looking down the hallway, he saw that there were more situated in front of other doors. So they hadn't had any idea where he had come in from. That was good. There was a chance he could make it to Jazz without ever having to harm anyone.

Hopefully he'd be able to get out doing the same thing.

He floated out through the wall, watching the two men carefully as well as the other two down the hall. One of the ones by the door he had just come out of pressed his ear against it, a slight frown on his face. He turned to his partner then, whispering lightly, "I don't hear anything anymore. Do you think he was never in there?"

Danny didn't stick around to hear the answer, turning around and continuing to float down the hallway. He kept his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of his sister. She _had _to be in here somewhere, he couldn't have made a mistake. Not this time. Not now.

He was so intent on finding her that he almost missed his clue- the faint sounds of a struggle coming from inside one of the rooms. He almost went straight past it before it registered with him and he turned around, floating back towards it. As opposed to the normal two, this door had four guards protecting it. This _had _to be where they were keeping her.

He watched the guards very carefully as he phased through the wall, not taking his eyes off them until he couldn't see them anymore. Of course, he should have realized that might have not been the smartest thing to do. He _should _have realized that, but he didn't.

The next thing he felt was an electric shock ripping through his body as a scream of pain escaped from his lips. He collapsed to the floor, now very visible and very tangible. He swore underneath his breath, his mismatched eyes looking up to contact with a the last shimmers of an energy field. Vlad had taken it from his parents when he had kidnapped him. It was a shield specially designed to keep out ghostly energies and subsequently, him.

Upon seeing it, he swore some more. _Of course. _He thought to himself, furious. _Of bloody course! One of Vlad's stupid shields. I should have known the people who worked with him would have had some. Ugh. I hate it when they're prepared._

"Nice of you to drop in, Reaper." An amused voice said, a small laugh escaping as the teenager pulled himself to his feet. Danny looked towards the source of the voice, glaring as his eyes met with those of Vlad's second in command. Or former, rather. The portly man stood there, his cigar wedged between his teeth, as if he had been waiting for him all this time.

"Caleb." He spat, his eyes flaring. "I should have expected you. It's hard to miss your stench."

"It's hard to miss your temper." Caleb shrugged. "At least my 'stench' doesn't end up taking lives."

"I'd care to debate with you on that one." Danny grinned.

"Hm." Caleb's amusement was gone from his voice and he uncrossed his arms, taking out his cigar and setting it down on the ashtray. "You talk pretty big for someone whose baby sister's been 'nabbed." He took a step back, revealing the trapped girl slumped down on the chair behind him. She seemed to be unconscious, but she was breathing.

"You're not going to anything from Vlad out of her, you know..." Danny's eyes narrowed, torn between the need to watch Caleb carefully and his desire to watch over Jazz. He slowly turned his eyes away from her though, glaring at Caleb. "You know he doesn't really care about her."

"Oh, I don't think that. She's his only daughter. His _normal _child." He sounded so sure of himself here, utterly convinced that Vlad's lie was the truth. "I'm sure he would give anything for her."

Danny couldn't help it- he laughed. He laughed, shaking his head, horribly amused at how fooled Vlad had even his closest allies about the true origin of his children.

This laughter didn't go over too well with Caleb though, his eyes narrowing. "And what exactly do you find funny?" He snapped, obviously beginning to lose his temper. "You're trapped behind that energy field, you little freak. There's nothing that even you can do to get past it."

Now he laughed, giving a grin that no good could come from. "I'm the one who should be laughing, kid, not you." He glanced back towards Jazz. "After all. I'm the one back here with your little sister." He took a few steps towards her, before glancing back towards Danny.

The Reaper's eyes widened, then narrowed, glaring at him. His one blue eyes changed colors, shifting to match his green one. Both were blazing, the pupils in them shrinking down to pinpricks. His entire body tensed as if ready to lunge forward at any second.

But Caleb knew that he couldn't and so he continued on towards the small girl. He grinned as he grabbed a chunk of her firey red hair, giving it a good, hard yank.

There are times when time seems to moves in an instant. Everything happens in a flash, going so fast that nobody even has a chance to stop and catch their breath until it's over. There's no thought, no plans... just action. Pure, impulsive, reckless action.

Jazz screamed, her eyes flying open, reality rushing back to her as she slipped from the safe haven of unconsciousness.

Caleb laughed, turning his head back towards Danny, his laughter suddenly cut short.

And Danny's eyes blazed brighter, his pinprick of a pupil vibrating in them until it vanished completely. Thought was shoved into the back of his mind as his power surged forward, meeting with the shield. It forcefully shoved it's way through it, Caleb's eyes widening as his hand slipped from Jazz's hair.

The power formed in black whisps around Caleb's head, then rushed in at it. The next thing anyone knew, as time slowed back down to its normal pace, was Caleb's corpse falling to the ground, his skull crushed in.

Jazz let loose another scream as the guards burst in. Danny couldn't hear her, it was like he wasn't even there currently. He whipped around towards the guards, the black energy surging out. The four met similar fates to their leader, all collapsing into a heap on top of one another.

That was when Jazz's screams reached his ears and Danny's eyes returned to normal, the black energy dissipating. He stared down at the four corpses at his feet, before he slowly turned around. Turned around and saw his little sister, his beloved little sister, in hysterics, the corpse of Caleb lying just at her feet. And it hit him. It hit him what he had done. And it hit him what would happen.

"Jazz!" He called out to her, hurrying forward. The girl had stopped screaming, but she was sobbing horribly. The chair she was bound to was shaking as she tried to scoot away from him.

But Danny had no time for explanations, no time for apologies, he only knew that they had to get out of there and fast, before more guards came. So he grabbed her, turning them both intangible as Jazz's wrists slipped right through the ropes that had held her. He held her close, ignoring the sobbing that got worse, the terrified shivers and just _moved_.

He didn't waste any time, just phasing through the walls of the building until he got outside. He turned visible then, putting everything out of his mind until he reached his motorcycle. He got on, Jazz clinging to him as if she didn't really want to, but had no choice, still shaking.

Danny stepped on the gas then, jetting out onto the street and away from that place, not stopping until he just couldn't make himself go on anymore. He brought the motorcycle to a halt, stopping in front of a quiet residential area. He had come a long way from the slums then, he thought as he looked around.

And reality came back to him once more, Jazz letting go of him and scrambling off of the motorcycle. She nearly fell off in her rush to do so. Danny's breath caught in his throat, slowly looking over at the girl. She was trembling, he finally noticed. She was frightened and horrified...

And he knew that it was of him.

"Jazz..." He reached out to her, getting off his motorcycle. Pain shot through his eyes as she scrambled away from him. "Jazz, please..." He took another step forward and she took another two steps back. "_Jazz!_"

He winced. That last one came out much harsher than he intended it to be and it had only succeeded in making matters worse. Jazz pressed herself against the fence, all of the adoration she had once held for him simply... vanished. It was like part of her world had been ripped out from under her. Danny could see that and he knew then that he couldn't let the other half of her world slip out from underneath her.

"Jazz..." He pleaded with her again, this time quieter. He kneeled down, reaching his hand carefully out. She looked away from him, sobbing. Danny dropped his hand, pulling it back by his side.

"You can't be..." She whispered, her eyes shut tightly. "You can't be him... not my brother..." She slowly looked back over at him. She was quivering a little less now, but still sobbing. Danny desperately wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he knew that she wouldn't let him anywhere near her now.

He opened his mouth, then shut it, shaking his head. He stood up, turning around so that he couldn't see her as he spoke. "That's right..." He said eventually. "You're right." He shook his head, laughing bitterly as he closed his eyes, forcing back his own tears. "You never really had one..."

He reached into his pocket, tossing her his cell phone as he got back onto his motorcycle, never making eye contact with her. "Call your father." He knew she was safe here and he stepped on the gas, heading off down the road. He had no idea where he was going but right now... he just had to _go_.

* * *

"It's unusually active today." Aqua green eyes narrowed, its owner's lips pursing. She looked out the window, looking out towards the area where the Deathbringer energy had suddenly spiked in the area. She frowned heavily. "I don't like it. Why hasn't the Council ordered me to move?"

She chewed on her lip now. "If there's a Deathbringer in the city, then it has to be taken care of quickly... so why have they just told me to wait?" She drummed her fingers along the windowsill. "I don't like it one bit..."

Valerie moved her hand up to her face, chewing on her finger nervously. The energy has been troubling her a lot lately. She was starting to feel it all around her and yet the Council remained silent on what action she should take. When she asked about it, the look that they gave her made her blood run cold. It was if they were silently warning her that getting involved would mean getting herself into something that she couldn't handle.

Which she didn't like either. She saw herself as being very competent, she had yet to fail on any of the missions assigned to her. Of course, she realized that she had also only been assigned to minor cases. Nothing more than what was routine and she had yet to encounter any problems.

That is, until now. This energy... This Deathbringer. Creatures that thought nothing of human life, only of taking it for her own gain... she chewed on her finger some more, before she was suddenly struck with a thought.

The Council hadn't said how she should act, true...

But they never said that she couldn't.

She grinned, dropping her hand from her face as she followed the invisible energy trail with her eyes. The other Reapers had their turns to shine. Now it was hers. And she would start with finding and destroying this Deathbringer.

* * *

**AN: **Remember kids, plot twists are fun! And the reintroduction of Gokai. What? You think I would leave him out? NO FREAKIN WAY. (hearts)


	6. Reapers and Deathbringers

**AN: **Okay, first, I think I have to offer you, my fans and watchers, an apology. Life really caught up with me in the past several months, with me trying to finish my senior year of high school and trying to get into college. I am currently enrolled in college and my life is finally coming out of a hectic pace, as well as it seems I'm out of my writer's block that I had been suffering pretty much all summer. I'm not going to guarantee frequent updates to my stories from now on, because I really don't want to let anyone done, but I'm definitely writing again. I'm not sure which story I'll update yet, though I'm considering Blood of a Phantom, since that one, is really, REALLY, behind on updates.

Once again, I apologize, and I thank those of you who waited patiently for an update.

As always, Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman. The AU designs for this story, as well as the concepts belong to me. Please read and review!

* * *

**Shadow of the Reaper**

Chapter Six: Reapers and Deathbringers

Danny finally came to a stop, pulling his motorcycle over to the side of the road. He looked around him, his eyes moving over the deep forest in front of him. He had driven all the way to the outskirts of the city, trying in a futile attempt to out run everything that had just happened. But he couldn't, it seemed, no matter how far he went.

It still hurt.

It hurt a lot.

He heaved a deep sigh, taking a seat on the grass. "Jazz..." He mumbled her name, his hand clenching his heart almost as if the pain in it was real, and not just in his head. "Dammnit!" He yelled then, pounding his fist against the earth beneath him. "Dammnit..."

There was a cold sensation on his hand, as a raindrop fell upon it. It was followed by others, and quickly, it started to pour. Danny didn't move from where he was, staring up at the gray skies, wondering if it was possible for someone like him to die of pneumonia.

It would be better for everyone if he just died. He was lying to everyone, everyone except for the man he hated the most. He was lying to Jazz, lying to Tucker, and lying to Valerie. Jazz's horrified eyes came to his mind again, his heart wrenching in pain as they flashed through his head. He really was a monster.

He sighed again, pulling his legs up to his chest and settled his chin down on his arms, gazing blankly out into the rain. His eyelids dropped a little as it finally sunk into him the fact that he hadn't slept at all in the past week or so. He didn't know what left him more exhausted, his fight with Jazz's kidnappers, or Jazz herself...

His thoughts faded off as his eyes finally closed, drifting off into sleep.

* * *

Valerie swore, pulling her vespa to a full stop. She had come out all this way following the trail of a Deathbringer's energy, but it had suddenly gone cold. "_Damn!_" She heaved an upset sigh, running a hand through her hair.

She blinked then, suddenly realizing that her hair was wet. She looked up at the sky, and shook her head as a few raindrops fell on it. "Rain? When did it start raining?" She had been so focused on her self imposed mission that it hadn't occurred to her.

She heaved another sigh then, her shoulders slumping. She had better find some place to take shelter from the rain, so she could wait in case the Deathbringer's energy trail showed back up again. She wasn't certain if it the Deathbringer's trail had vanished because of the rain, or because it had simply disappeared. But she wasn't going to take her chances- if it got to far away from her, she'd might never be able to find it again.

Putting the brakes down on her vespa, she stepped off of it to take a look around. She blinked, not realizing that she had come quite this far out of town. Turning around, she noticed that she couldn't even see the city's buildings behind her anymore. In fact, the only thing she saw besides the road was a forest in the distance. She had to do a double take then, as she spotted something in the distance, by the trees.

"What's that?" She frowned a little as she got back onto her vespa. She kicked the brake back up and headed down the road again. Even if it was nothing, she could still use the forest for shelter.

As she approached the object, or objects, as it seemed, she began to suspect that it was in fact, something. Finally, she saw enough to make out the outline of a motorcycle and what looked to be a collapsed person beside it.

Her eyes narrowed as she realized this and she speed up as much as she dared too in the rain, thinking that there might have been an accident. This road wasn't one that was normally traveled, at least not by cars. She just hoped that if it was an accident, that she had found it soon after it happened.

To be honest, she had never really been down this road before, and had no idea where it led to. It wasn't accurate to call it a road, either, it was more like a dirt path. It was no small wonder, then, that she found her vespa difficult to move as the hardened earth turned into soft mud. She applied the brakes in frustration, and got to her feet, hurrying down the rest of the way.

She couldn't help but let out a small gasp of shock as she saw who it was lying there, motionless against the motorcycle. She gasped and let his name slide from her lips in shock. "Danny?!"

She stood there frozen for a moment before adrenaline took over and she rushed over towards him. The first thing she did was make sure that he was breathing and that he had a pulse. She sighed in relief to find that he was, and that he did have a pulse. It was faint, but it was still there.

She then quickly examined him for any injuries and relaxed further when she found that he had none. Forgetting all about the Deathbringer and it's trail, she hefted him up onto his motorcycle and got on the seat in front of him. Frowning, she looped his limp arms around her waist, trying to get them to stay up. Her vespa might not be able to handle the muddy road, but Danny's motorcycle might be able to do it.

Or, it might, if she could keep Danny from sliding off of it, which he did twice before she even started the thing. Letting out a frustrated groan, she laid Danny back down on the ground. Glancing towards the small forest, then back at Danny, she heaved a sigh and turned his motorcycle around. She would have to get him home another way.

For now, she would hide their vehicles in the forest, and pray that nobody found them. Her father would kill her if she lost that vespa, he had saved for a long time to even get her that. Valerie's family, which consisted just of her and her father now, wasn't rich. They had been, at one point, granted. But due to an unfortunate series of events, her father lost her job, and they wound up knee deep in debt. Things had gotten better over the past few years, and while they no longer struggled to make ends meet, they didn't exactly have money to burn, either.

Her mother had walked out on them when she was just a baby, she had never even known the woman, and didn't frankly care to. As much as she told herself that, she couldn't help but admit curiosity about the woman. She wondered if it was from her mother that she got her Reaper abilities, or if they had just developed in her without help of either parent. She had asked the Council once, but they remained rather quiet on the subject. Actually, it was more like they had completely ignored the question.

After putting both their vehicles away, she hurried back over towards Danny. She kneeled down by him again and checked his vitals once more. Finding no change either way, she then hefted him up onto her back, and wrapped his arms around her neck. She sighed as she got back on the road and started the long walk back towards the city.

* * *

The sounds of someone sneezing finally woke Danny up. His eyes twitched a few times before he finally regained consciousness, the sunlight filtering through the window falling in his face. "...ugh."

"Danny?"

A voice, a familiar voice. For a second, he thought it was Jazz, but then realized how utterly foolish that hope was. His mismatched eyes blinked open then, turning towards the sound of the voice that was at once worried and relieved.

It took awhile for his eyes to focus on the person who was hovering over him, but he was no less confused when they finally did. "Valerie?" He asked in confusion, trying to pull himself up. His body was rather weak though and he ended up falling back down against the bed. "Ugh..." He groaned, feeling like he was suffering from a hangover. Maybe two.

"So you are awake." She let out a deep sigh, sitting back in her chair. "I'm glad. I was worried."

"How long have I been out?" He asked, his eyes not leaving her. "And how did I get here?"

"Two days." Valerie told him, smiling slightly as she watched Danny wince. "I found you out by the side of the road. You had fallen asleep in the rain." Her smile turned into a frown then. "I called your father, but his number must be listed wrong or something. He never picked the phone."

Danny laughed a little then, and muttered something underneath his breath, that Valerie couldn't quite catch. "Danny?" He looked back at her then and shook his head, saying without words that it was nothing. She frowned a little bit, but she accepted it. She might ask him about it later, but for now he needed rest.

And apparently food, she concluded from hearing his stomach roar like a lion. She chuckled a little as the teenager turned bright red as it did so, and got up from her seat. "Stay here. I'll fix you something." She smiled, as she headed to the door, giving him a slight wave before she went into the kitchen.

Danny watched her go, his embarrassed face quickly vanishing as the door shut behind her. He hadn't forgotten what had happened with Jazz, and he forced himself to sit up this time. Using the headboard to support himself, he grabbed the guest room's phone and dialed Vlad's cell phone number.

It rang once, twice, thrice, before the crime lord finally got to answering it. "I was wondering when you'd call me." He said cooly, as if he had been expecting him. Danny's eyes narrowed instantly at that. That bastard.

"Did you pick her up?" He asked, wasting no time on anything else.

"I did. It seems she's quite terrified of you now though, Daniel." He laughed a little. "I had to explain to her all about how you're an adopted child and how she had gotten involved in one of your little gang spats." He sounded rather amused as he said all of this. "How I had no idea that you were such a heartless murderer and how I would never let you anywhere near her ever again."

Danny winced, glad that Vlad couldn't see it. He had expected it to be bad, but not quite that bad. He gathered his composure back up for a response, trying to sound as cool and collected as possible. "I see. I assume that you don't want me to come back to your mansion anymore."

"Now that would just cast suspicion onto me, wouldn't it?" The man asked. "When you're quite finished with that little scholarship student, you're to report back to my workplace. You'll be staying there from now on. I've already had your things moved."

"Of course you have." He frowned, not hearing Valerie's hand turning the doorknob. "You're the worst kind of scum, Vlad. I hope that you actually get what you deserve one day." He almost hissed the last words, his eyes ever so faintly glowing green.

He was quickly shocked out of his rage by the sound of crashing plates. Cursing a little underneath his breath, he hung up the phone and got to his feet. However, he overestimated his body's current state and quickly collapsed on the floor, letting out a yelp of pain as he smashed his head up against the corner of Valerie's chair.

Valerie, meanwhile, leaned down to pick up the shattered plate, trying to clean up the toast and bacon she had dropped all over the floor. That was Danny talking, right? Vlad was his father's name... why was he talking to him like that? His voice sounded so warped by hatred, that she almost didn't recognize it.

And then, just for a second, she could have sworn she felt the rouge Deathbringer's energy signature. Coming from right inside that room. She looked up at the door, wincing a little as she heard Danny get up, then yelp in pain as he clearly hit something on his way to the floor. Scooping up her mess into her arms, she pushed open the door with her back.

"D-danny? Are you okay?" She asked, setting down her mess on the table by the door. She winced a little as she saw him nursing an already nasty bump on his head. He must have smacked his head against the chair. She had told him not to get up, hadn't she?

"A-ah." He stammered, using the chair to prop himself up. "Sorry about that. Vl-my father and I were arguing, and I guess I lost my temper."

She took a good look at him before responding, wondering if she had only imagined that she had felt that Deathbringer's energy. She didn't feel it anymore, though she couldn't possibly imagine why she would think that the Deathbringer was here. She shook it from her thoughts for the moment and nodded her head. "Don't worry. I understand." She smiled at him, going over to check on the bump on his head. "Really. And after I told you to stay put, too."

Danny laughed a little as he took a seat, his face flushing red. Valerie heaved another sigh. "I'll go make some more food, and get some ice for that." She told him, gathering the ruined breakfast in her arms again. "I'll be right back." She eyed him. "No moving, and no phone calls."

He laughed a little, nodding as he watched her leave. His smile vanished again as he heaved a sigh and he leaned back in the chair. "Looks like I've made a mess out of things again." He put his hands in his hair, closing his eyes. "What am I going to do?"

He watched the door this time as he got up, making sure that he was steady. He walked over towards the window and looked out, heaving another sigh as he looked out at the already busy street below. He found his mismatched eyes following a family, wondering for the first time in a long time what it would be like to be in a normal family, to be a normal person.

He looked back towards the door again, then turned invisible and let himself slide through the floor. If he stayed here any longer, he'd bother Valerie. He wished he had time to say goodbye, since he didn't know if he'd be going back to school anytime soon. He couldn't imagine that Vlad would let him anywhere near his sister now.

Once he landed on ground level, he walked through the bottom apartment's wall and onto the street. He stayed invisible for awhile, until he found a place where no one could see him to turn back.

He really didn't want to go back to Vlad's place, but he knew he really had no choice. Glancing towards the parking lot, he spotted his motorcycle next to Valerie's vespa and headed over towards it. Shaking of his queasy feeling, he got on it and started it up, speeding out of the parking lot, and heading towards Vlad's headquarters.

* * *

Valerie let out a small gasp, nearly burning her hand on the pan as she felt the Deathbringer's energy flare up again. She swore and quickly turned off the stove, hurrying towards the guest room that Danny was in. She flung open the door and stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes going wide as she found that he wasn't there anymore. She could faintly hear the sounds of a motorcycle in the distance, and she swore again as she hurried into the living room, where her father was reading the newspaper. He looked up as she came in.

"Dad? Did you see Danny leave?" She asked him, praying that he had, praying that he wouldn't give confirmation to her suspicions.

"The friend you brought here the other day?" He asked, setting down his paper. He shook his head. "No, sorry Valerie. I didn't see him at all. Did he leave?"

She nodded slowly, trying to keep her rising horror from showing as she stepped out of the room and headed back to the guest room. She stopped in front of the window and looked down, then shook her head. There was no way he could have left through, not when this was a fifth floor apartment.

She sunk down to the floor by the window, trying desperately not to bring herself to the most obvious conclusion. But she couldn't, she couldn't stop herself from thinking it. Not only had following the Deathbringer's energy trail brought her to Danny, but she had felt it twice from the room he was in. There was no way that it couldn't be true, no way that she was mistaken.

He had managed to vanish from the room without so much as a trace. Her eyes drifted towards the ceiling. She really should have seen it earlier. Looking at him, it was so obvious. His hair... that wasn't dye at all, but his natural color. And his eyes, bloody hell, his eyes. She had only seen them without the contacts a few times, and she was one of the few that knew what they really looked like.

She should have seen it coming.

Danny was the Deathbringer.

Danny was the Deathbringer that had been drifting around the country, wreaking all of that havoc, killing all of those people. It had been him all along. She should have seen it, should have known. She should have put two and two together and found that Danny was absent everytime the Deathbringer reared it's head.

"Why? Why couldn't you be like me?" She asked to the unanswering air. If he was a Reaper, then there would be no problem. He would be with her on the Council, he would be with her, collecting souls of the dead so they weren't doomed to be sealed within their corpses forever. He would be with her, tracking down stray souls so that they could rest in peace.

Instead, he was a Deathbringer. A monster that only knew how to kill things. Wretched creatures that damned a person's soul to walk the earth for all eternity, turning them into vengeful spirits and poltergeists. The longer a Deathbringer lived, the worse of a threat they became. Thankfully, it seemed that only one of them was allowed to exist at a time.

Except that was the thing.

The Council wasn't so worried about the fact that there was a Deathbringer loose as much as they were worried about the fact that there were currently _three _of them. Which was bad, no matter how you put it.

Eventually, Valerie got to her feet and looked out the window. She had to do something about this. She didn't want to have to kill her best friend. So Danny was a Deathbringer, but he had never seemed like a monster to her. She had to find him, she had to talk to him. There must be something that she could do for him.

And most importantly, she had to keep this from the Council. For if they found out, they would have him killed on the spot.


	7. Gray, Orange, and Violet

AN: For those of you who have not yet gotten the message, I am back, and in full throttle too! Two updates in one day! I wonder what I shall update next? Anyways, here, have Shadow of the Reaper Chapter Seven! I enjoyed writing this, mostly when it came to Vlad's dialog. This chapter also introduces a new character, and gives some insight on exactly what happened that brought Danny to Vlad's attention, and also might help answer some of your questions as to why nobody in Amity Park associates Danny and Jazz Masters with Danny and Jazz Fenton, though more on that will be revealed later.

Now I have to go watch House be an asshole. Enjoy the show!

Shadow of the Reaper

Chapter Seven: Gray, Orange, and Violet

"Aah, good, you're back. I was starting to wonder when you would show up." Vlad spoke up as Danny entered the room. He was sitting in a chair, as if he had been waiting for him to show up ever since he had called. "I was starting to worry, son." He told him, a pleasant smile plastered on to his face, as if this were some kind of typical scene.

"So I take it that it's impossible to die from sarcasm overload." Danny observed, closing the door behind him. "Shame, that."

"Oh trust me son, they still would have found some way to blame that on you." Vlad told him, his pleasant facade not dropping for a second. "You'll be pleased to know that Jazz does not think you are a total monster. It seems she mentally blocked out any supernatural events that took place during your little heroic rescue. No, now she just thinks that you're a sick, twisted murderer. Isn't that good news?"

"No." Danny said sharply, glaring at him. "Stop fucking around Vlad. I can't stand that look on your face." He frowned, watching the man carefully. "You haven't done anything to her, have you?"

"Oh no, nothing of the sort." Vlad raised his hands, getting up from his chair. "You know me, Daniel, I would never let a valuable playing piece go to waste." He told him, walking over to him to pat him on the shoulder. "After all, as long as I have her, I can keep my knight right where I want it."

"Don't touch me." Danny shrugged off his hand, backing away. "I don't want to have to breathe in your stench." He crossed his arms. "Did you just come here to rub it in, or did you have something you actually wanted to tell me?" He asked. He hated to admit it, but damnit, Vlad was right. Even if Jazz knew the truth about their 'father' now, it would pale in comparison to the fact that he had _murdered five people in front of her._

"Oh yes, there was." The man clasped his hands together. "Several things actually. First, you will continue to go to school as you have been. I don't want anyone to think that something suspicious has happened. Secondly, as soon as it's convenient for you, I would like you to kill that little whelp you hang out with at school, Valerie. And thirdly, Gokai would like to see you sometime this week."

"Kill Valerie?" Danny's eyes narrowed, looking at the man suspiciously. "Why? She probably just saved my life back there you know!"

"Oh yes, I know." Vlad nodded. "It's your punishment for making things inconvenient for you. But I'm even managing to be nice this time." Vlad continued to smile at him, his expression not changing once. "I'm actually allowing you to choose how you will kill your friend this time. Isn't that just generous of me?"

The Deathbringer gritted his teeth, his eyes flaring up as he glared at the man he was forced to call father. "_Get out."_

"Oh, touched a nerve, did I?" Vlad asked, taking a step back. He lifted up his hands, laughing somewhat. "Well do pardon me, Daniel. I would hate to be forced to include Tucker in that punishment as well." His smile changed a little bit then, still remaining pleasant, but with a sinister edge to it. "Or, if you disobey me, I could just take _that_ away from you."

Those words caused all of the fury to go out in Danny's eyes, replaced by what could only be described as fear. His hands went up to the aforementioned _that_, clinging to it, as if trying to keep Vlad away from it. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I would." Vlad said, raising his eyebrows. "What you don't seem to understand Daniel, is that I am the one in control here." He tucked his hands in his pockets, watching his 'son'. "Yes, yes, you might be able to kill people with your mind, but as long as there is _that_ you can't touch me, no matter how much you desire it."

"Now." Vlad cleared his throat, as if trying to lighten the air. "I'll expect you to meet all of my orders. Including meeting with Gokai, Daniel. I know that's clearly the most horrific of them, but don't disappoint me." The older man headed towards the door, then paused to look back at the Deathbringer. "I mean, I could always come up with an _alternate _explanation about that little situation for Jazz."

"Just leave." Danny didn't turn to look at him, and didn't move even after the door had clicked shut. After a few minutes, he let out a sigh, sure that Vlad was gone now. "Damnit, Vlad." He hissed, his anger rising up within him again. It had nowhere to go now, though. "God damnit Vlad."

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"Ugh, this is the second time I've been here, but I can not get over how showy this damn house is." Valerie made a face as she pulled up to the Masters mansion. "I mean, damn, I know Mr. Masters is the richest man in America, but a palace? Isn't that just a little bit gaudy?"

"Hm." Valerie frowned then, recalling the days back when she had been loaded. "Then again, maybe I shouldn't talk." She concluded, and headed up the steps to the mansion. She rang the doorbell and waited for a few moments.

Awhile later, the door opened and a young maid came out. "May I help you miss?" She inquired, looking at Valerie with mild suspicion.

"Yeah, is Daniel Masters here?" She asked her. "I'm his friend, Valerie Gray. I kind of need to talk to him. It's important."

"I'm afraid that Daniel does not live here any longer." The maid said curtly. "Mister Masters has moved him away for the young misses safety." She told her bluntly. "Please do not come asking for him again."

"Wait, wait, hold up a second there, Jazz's safety?" Valerie asked, arching an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Those two are practically attached at the hip. Safety? How the hell could Danny possibly be dangerous to Jazz?" She asked, sounding offended. She forgot for a moment that the reason she wanted to speak with him was to confirm that he was a Deathbringer, and was therefore, in fact, actually very dangerous.

"It is none of your concern." The maid told her cooly. "I am simply doing as Mister Masters instructed. And that includes not letting any of Daniel's ruffian friends in as well." She gave Valerie a look that said yes, yes, she was talking about her. "No, I have a job to do, and it would be in your best interest not to waste any more of my time. Thank you, and good day ma'am."

With that, the door to the mansion closed. Valerie wasn't sure if she would be stunned or angry, or both, even. "Ruffian? Seriously, ruffian? Who even _says _that anymore?" She asked, shaking her head. "I'd like to see her say that to my face back when we still had money, that's for sure. Wipe that little... _ugh."_ She was so annoyed, she couldn't even finish her sentence.

"Is everyone that Vlad hires that insufferable?" Valerie asked, glancing back at the door as she headed down the stairs and got back on her vespa. "But Danny, dangerous? How could he be- oh, right." She suddenly remembered why she was looking for him in the first place. She hated to admit it, but her anger could be awfully distracting at times.

Valerie paused to look at the mansion curiously before she departed, wondering exactly what Danny had done that resulted in him being passed out in the middle of nowhere.

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It took a better part of the day for Danny to get a grip over his anger. He couldn't afford to loose it now, not after what had happened the last time he lost it. He heaved a deep sigh now, trying to come to terms with the demands Vlad had made with him. Killing Valerie. Oh, the others, those he could deal with. He could even deal with Gokai, as creepy as that creature was, at least it didn't involve him killing one of his close friends.

He didn't want to do it, obviously. I mean, yeah, he had killed people before, but he didn't really know any of them. And those he did know, he didn't even really like. But Valerie was different. She was his friend and had been for a long time now. And if there was one thing someone in his situation direly needed, it was friends.

He could just run away, but no, Vlad would still have Jazz. He would hate to think what the man would do to her if he fled. And where would he flee to? It wasn't like there was a home out there for him anymore. Even Vlad's place felt like home when Jazz was there for him, but that was gone now.

Jazz would never trust him again.

Honestly? He didn't blame her. In her shoes, he would do the exact same thing. She knew how much his younger sister loved and adored him, and he had smashed apart her idolized view of him in an instant. He would probably never even see her again now. Jazz was the one thing he had that he felt connected him to being normal, and now she was gone.

He knew that in the end, he would have to carry out Vlad's order. He didn't want to, oh how he didn't want to. Why couldn't he had ordered him to kill somebody he didn't like, like Paulina? He could do that in a heartbeat. Of course, he knew that would defeat the whole purpose of Vlad's punishment.

"Bastard." Danny sighed. He finally began to survey the room that Vlad had left for him, only to swear again. "Bastard! God damnit Vlad, the least you could do is have a bed in here for me." He grumbled. Oh, Vlad had brought his stuff over alright. His bookcase and all it's contents were here, and his clothes were in a pile on the ground, but that was it.

"I swear he's a sadist. Ugh." Danny groaned. "I have got to call Tucker." He frowned, reaching into the pocket where he usually kept his cell phone, only to find it wasn't there. He remembered then, he had left it with Jazz.

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It was the next morning, and Danny had grudgingly showed up for school. He had gone out of his way to avoid meeting Valerie, and had slipped into his class room without a word to anyone. Despite having slept for two days, he felt even more exhausted than before- but that was what sleeping on the floor could do to a person, he suspected.

Word seemed to have gotten around that he and his sister had a spat, thanks to the speedy rumor mill. He just wished that they would stop whispering about it when he was in the same god damn room as him. At least there was one piece of small mercy in that Paulina was absent- he didn't know if he could deal with her today. The last thing he needed to do was to snap and kill somebody in public.

The door opened and Mr. Lancer entered, followed by a student that Danny had never seen before. He frowned a little bit, watching the new girl with mild interest. She had black hair and violet eyes. In addition to the school's uniform, she was wearing a pair of violet stockings and black combat boots. A transfer student, he figured. That was unusual. They didn't get a whole lot of them here. Actually, he thought to himself, she looked kind of familiar.

Damn he hoped she wasn't the daughter of someone he had offed or something.

"Class, before we begin, I would like to introduce you to a new transfer student." Mr. Lancer cleared his throat, waiting until the class had quieted down before he continued. "This is Miss Samantha Manson. She's just moved here. Miss Manson, if you could take a seat next to Mr. Masters over there?" He asked, pointing out Danny.

The raven haired girl nodded, and took her seat without comment. She glanced over briefly at Danny, but looked away when she realized he was looking back at her. Danny frowned a bit, still thinking that he had met her somewhere before. Even her name sounded somewhat familiar.

And then it hit him.

_Samantha Manson? Wait, wait, Sam Manson? Oh, well, shit. I guess the universe really does have it out for me this week._ He thought glancing over at her. Oh dear god. Not only did he know who she was, not only had they met before, but she had been there when his powers first awoke. It wasn't something he could easily forget.

After all, he had killed her parents.

He glanced over at her again, trying not to look to obvious. She was staring at him again when he did so, and they both looked away in a hurry again. _Oh fuck, does she recognize me? Shit, I think she recognizes me. What the hell am I supposed to do about this?_ He asked himself. _What did she come here for? Damnit, she doesn't know who I am, does she? I mean, we used to be friends and all, but damn, I killed her parents!_

_I mean, that's gotta piss a girl off, right? It was an accident, though. It's not like I meant to kill her parents. I mean, how the hell would I know that all of a sudden something would trigger the awakening of my powers and I would cause like, twenty head explosions?_ Danny thought to himself. _Oh man, but if she recognizes me, I am so out of luck, aren't I? I won't have to kill her will I? I really don't want to off two friends in one week. That would really suck. Man, I must have done something horrible in a past life._

Class continued on, but Danny paid very little attention to it. He almost didn't even notice when the bell rang. The only thing that snapped him out of his thoughts was Sam's hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Masters, was it? Can I talk to you for a second in private?" She asked.

_Okay then, I guess that would be a yes on the whole recognition thing. Don't do anything stupid. _Danny thought as he stood up. "Um, yeah, sure." He told her, grabbing his bag. "Samantha, was it?" He asked, trying to play dumb.

"Sam, actually. That's what my friends all call me." She told him. It was hard to read her expression. She didn't seem happy, but she also didn't seem to be wearing the oh god, you killed my parents, you bastard, look on her face. "Can you come with me?" She asked, grabbing her own messenger bag, which she slung over her shoulder.

"Yeah, no problem." He smiled at her. "You can call me Danny, by the way. That's what all my friends call me."

"Ah, I see." That was all she had to say to that. In fact, she didn't have anything more to say to him until she had lead him to a very secluded spot on the campus. Danny couldn't help but glance around, knowing for sure that she recognized him now.

"Okay then, Sam, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Danny asked, tucking his hands into his pockets. "At least, I hope you want to talk. You don't want to make out or something do you, because I don't typically do that with people I've just met."

"Cut the crap." Sam snapped then, glaring at Danny. "Listen to me, Daniel Masters." She arched an eyebrow as she said that name. "Now I don't know if you remember me or not, but I sure as hell haven't forgotten you. Danny Fenton. I know who you _really _are." She almost spat the name out. Danny had to wince somewhat at the amount of hatred he heard in her voice. Yeah, this was somebody carrying a grudge.

He paused for a moment, thinking over his response, and decided to try and drop the act. Hell, everything else in his life was going wrong, at this point, he didn't think this would make any difference. "No, Sam, I haven't forgotten you." He told her, looking down at her. "I know who you are and I think I know why you're here, too."

"Ah, well that makes things easier then." Sam nodded. "You killed my parents, Danny. I was there, I saw the whole thing." Her eyes narrowed. "And now you're just living the high life pretending to be Mr. Master's son? How many people did you kill then, Danny? Twenty?" She asked him.

"Living the high life?" Danny couldn't help but laugh at that. "I hate to break it to you Sam, but it that's what you think I've been doing, then you're sadly mistaken!" He laughed, shaking his head. "Look, I don't know what that pink skirted freak manipulated you people into thinking, but Vlad kidnapped me for one reason, and one reason only." He told her bluntly. "You should know best what my only real skill is, Sam, since you've bared witness to it."

"So, now that that's all out of the way, I only have one thing to ask you Ms. Manson. What did you come here for?" Danny asked. "Did you just come here to remind me that I'm a murdering freak, or did you come here to try and kill me?"

For a moment, it seemed that Sam was taken aback. He had stunned her into silence, but she quickly composed herself again. "You want to know why I came here?" She asked. "Maybe I did come here to kill you!" She spat at him. "What would you do if I did?!"

Now it was Danny's turn to pause. He didn't actually expect her to say that. "Well, I'd probably let you, if you promised to free Jazz and take her back to our parents." He said after a moment. Now that he thought about it, that would keep him from having to kill Valerie.

"Wait, what?" Sam looked at him in confusion. "Did you just say yes? I just asked you what you would do if I tried to kill you." To be honest, none of this was like what Sam was expecting. She had thought that he would be... a little more monstrous?

"Well yeah, I caught that." Danny blinked. "I said yes, didn't I? I thought I did."

Sam seemed to be thinking something over, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I..." She shook her head. "You know what, Fenton? Today. I'm going to let you off just for today, got that?" She pointed a finger at him, accusingly. "I have to reorganize my thoughts. But I want you to meet me right here, after school tomorrow, got it? Don't try and run out on it."

Sam shot him a final glare before she went on her way. What the hell? She was fuming inside her head, but was also confused at the same time. She had spent so much of her life hating this guy, and what? What, he wanted to die? He had gotten of scotch free for a crime that any judge would have sent him packing for, even if he was only six at the time.

_I don't understand!_ She thought to herself. _Why is this so difficult? Not only did he kill your parents Sam, but killed a lot of other people. So what if it was an accident? Didn't he run away and kidnap his own baby sister right after it? _She frowned a little. Yes, the two had been close friends at one point, but Sam could no longer remember those times. Every time she thought of him, she thought of her parents. Over the years, she had grown to hate her old friend with every inch of her soul.

She had come here following a hunch. It wasn't exactly a secret who Vlad's children were, and she had seen them before. At first, she hadn't thought much of them, but over the years, she began to think that she had seen them before. And suddenly, one day, she realized why.

It was Danny and Jasmine Fenton.

She didn't really understand why nobody else seemed to notice- not even the Fentons. Whenever she tried to tell someone, they didn't believe her. Seeing ghosts, they said, that's what she was doing. As far as anyone in the town of Amity Park knew, the two Fenton children were probably dead somewhere.

To be perfectly honest, she hadn't actually come here to kill Danny. She kind of regretted saying that now, but it had been a heat of the moment thing. She had really come here to get answers. She had to pull a lot of strings to get up here, and she didn't want all of her efforts to go to waste.

Groaning, Sam found herself ignoring the ringing of the bell, signaling that class had started again. To be honest... half of her knew that Danny didn't mean to kill her parents. Half of her even doubted that he had _really _ran away and kidnapped his sister. What happened that day... it really wasn't something she could explain to anyone.

Just that she was the only survivor.

It took her so long, so long for her to be able to talk to anyone again after it. She shut herself off to the world, and wouldn't talk to anyone. She just sat alone in her room, barely eating anything. It was a wonder she didn't die from starvation, frankly. She hadn't even known that Danny had vanished with his sister until months later, when she finally came out and faced the world.

She still remembered what happened that day. How could she ever forget? It was hard to put the image of twenty people's _heads exploding_ out of her mind. She couldn't even remember what had caused the incident, but she could recall every single detail of the incident itself. She shuddered, recalling it vividly in her mind.

It was clearly something supernatural, and yet, everyone treated it as if it were some run of the mill mass murder incident. The only thing even slightly odd about it was that a six year old had committed it. Even that, people didn't really seem to find odd. All of a sudden, she realized that people's opinion of Danny had changed. She knew him as a bright and chipper little boy, but everyone else was convinced that he had always been a twisted little psychopath.

At times, Sam found herself believing them. Maybe it was she who was wrong, seeing that everyone else was pretty much in agreement. Even his own parents testified to the fact that he wasn't a normal child! They all seemed to be happy when he ran away, and left them in peace. The only Fenton child that they mourned with Jasmine, and some of the people of Amity Park had some rather... creative ideas about what had happened to her.

Sam eventually came to accept the view everyone held of Danny. She had accepted it right up until she saw him again, today. A psychopath? People here treated him as anything but. He seemed remarkably well-adjusted, for all intents and purposes. She knew something was wrong here.

She just had to figure out what it was.


	8. The Pink Deathbringer

AN: Yey, the next chapter is here! And with it, a more proper introduction of Gokai, and a brief introduction of another new character! I like writing for Gokai. I probably shouldn't like it so much, seeing how much of a nutball the thing is. Just wait until we get to see it in battle. 3 Anyways, mixed feelings about this chapter. I wanted it to go on longer, but I started to lose my flow towards the end so I cut it short. Still roughly seven pages though, so not so bad.

Also, for those of you who are curious (I don't know if I've shown it to you before), but here is Gokai: bekuki. deviantart. com / art / DP-SOTR-Set-6-41267108 (take out the spaces!)

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Shadow of the Reaper

Chapter Eight: The Pink Deathbringer

Daniel Masters had to admit, he was slightly afraid of the color pink.

Of course, it was nothing about the color itself that scared him- that would be just plain weird, but rather the conations the color brought with it. It wasn't that surprising really, since from the very first time he met the creature, it had always been dressed in pink.

"Oh, Daniel, it's good to see you again!" The creature chirped. From the behind it could maybe, _maybe_, be mistaken for a very strange woman, but from the front, it was obvious that there was something wrong with that.

Gokai Zaigouro was the most terrifying person Danny knew. Just calling the thing a person was an insult to people as a whole. Nobody deserved to have themselves associated with this twisted thing, nobody.

Not even Vlad.

"Gokai." Danny said coldly, his mismatched eyes falling over the Deathbringer, glaring at it. And indeed, Gokai was nothing more than an it- although it looked somewhat like a man, and wore women's clothing, albeit very strange woman's clothing, it had no gender, nor was it actually attached to the idea of being either male or female. If it was just that alone, maybe Danny could handle this strange thing, but that was not what was so terribly disturbing about it.

No, what was so terribly disturbing about it was shown in the fact that he had woken up to see it sitting on top of him. The pink haired, white skinned creature didn't seem to be inclined to move any time soon, either, smiling down at the younger Deathbringer, seeming very happy to see him.

"Would you get off of me?" Danny's eyes narrowed. If only it weren't Gokai, then he would solve the problem by a nice little head explosion. But, as it was, such powers did not work on other Deathbringers, it seemed. Danny had learned that early on, when he had tried it once. All it did was send a backlash of pain to him, as if he had just been trampled by a pack of full grown elephants.

After that, he never tried it again.

"Oh, but the view is lovely from up her!" It remarked, smiling still, reaching down one of it's hands to rest on Danny's face. As it was, it had it's body placed so that it held down his arms, so that he could not simply force him off. "So much better to see your charming face with~"

Danny had to hold in the urge to vomit, and instead, simply chose to phase through the floor. He came back up to the other side of Gokai, a good distance away from the pink wearing Deathbringer. It wouldn't do any good to run away from it. Gokai was damnably good at finding him. "Please stop doing that."

"Aw, Daniel, now that's no fun." Gokai pouted, getting up from the floor where Danny had been sleeping earlier. "I thought the two of us had something, after all~" It continued, in that same pouting voice as if this was some kind of playful lover's argument. "Look, we even had a child together!" It declared, waving it's hand towards another person in the room.

"We didn't do anything like that!" Danny spat out, growing annoyed now. He cast his eyes on the small girl who was standing off to one corner. "You just convinced Vlad to make her using my DNA, you creep." It was a request that had even creped Vlad out, probably because the man was quite aware as to the reasons it was being done.

Gokai Zaigouro, as it was, was completely obsessed with him.

Danny wasn't really sure when it had started. Maybe it was from the first day they had met, maybe it was later. All he knew was that it grew increasingly apparent over the years that Gokai was in love with him. He was probably ten when he noticed something was weird, but it wasn't until he was thirteen did he actually understand what was going on.

And it really freaked him out.

Considering the things he had seen and done in his long years as Vlad's pet assassin, that was saying something. It was probably the way Gokai went about it really, continuing to pursue him even after Danny rejected the white skinned creature again and again. Oh, the whole genderless thing was a contributing factor to it to be sure, but the man reason was that Danny knew very well what Gokai was capable of doing.

Calling Gokai psychotic was like calling Paulina mildly obsessed with him. It was nothing short of an understatement. There were no words that Danny knew that could describe the depths of Gokai's insanity. The creature loved to kill, and to play with his kills, carrying on it's missions for as long as it desired. If it loved someone, it turned around and tortured and killed them as slowly and painfully as possible.

Except for Danny. Gokai had made a point of letting him know that the boy was just far too interesting for it to kill just like that. It would be just a waste. After all, it had told him once, there was only supposed to be one of them at a time. It seemed rather pleased that this mysterious enigma that was a second Deathbringer was pleasantly attractive.

"Aw, now that's just mean." Gokai pouted still, looking back at the small girl. She couldn't have been any older than eleven or twelve, though Danny knew she was really much younger, only made a few years back. "You're going to hurt poor Danni's feelings. She does love her father so very much!"

"I said cut that out." Danny snapped, glaring at Gokai. "Could you be any less creepy?"

Gokai paused for a moment, actually seeming to consider the question. "Well, I suppose I could. But that just wouldn't be a whole lot of fun, now would it?" It asked, and Danny found it suddenly in his face. It reached it's hands, cupping Danny's face in it and bringing it close to it's own. "After all, I love that look you get when you push me away, Daniel."

"I said, get away!" Danny hissed, shoving the Deathbringer away. The creature laughed, allowing itself to fall back, smiling all the while. Danny had no idea if it could even feel pain- he didn't seem to think it did. After all, the thing had gotten both of it's arms cut off at one point, and that smile on his face never vanished.

Although Danny was powerful as a Deathbringer, his power could never match Gokai's, not in strength or diversity. Most Deathbringers could indeed regenerate faster than humans, but it was only Gokai, it seemed, he could reattach it's own body parts. Danny couldn't help but think that most of it's added power came from it's utter insanity.

"That's enough already." The small girl, Danni, finally spoke. She seemed to be rather annoyed at the behavior of the two, though perhaps more so with Gokai. Danny had to admit, he felt really sorry for her, despite the fact that it was kind of creepy that she was a young, female clone of him. I mean, after all, she was being raised by _Gokai._

It was obvious from first glance too, given the way she was dressed. Although she was not dressed in the same bright, pink and white colors as Gokai was, opting for more demure, mute ones, they wore the same style of clothing. Danny could never remember what it was called, other than that it had it's origins in Japanese culture- and that they sure weren't kimonos.

Other than the obvious facts of being younger, shorter, and a woman, Danny and Danni looked exactly alike, right down to the mismatched eyes and the two color hair. "Can't we please just get to why we came here?"

Gokai pouted again, though this time it was at her. "You're no fun, Danni. You take too much after your father!" It huffed, placing a hand on it's chest. "You should try being a little more like me every once in awhile! It would do you world of good, really."

At that, Danni looked like she was about to gag.

Frankly, Danny really couldn't blame her.

"Ugh." Danny grumbled, taking a seat in one of the chairs he had brought in here. "What did you want anyways, Gokai? Vlad mentioned you wanted to talk to me yesterday." He glared at him, reading himself for another sudden onslaught of unwanted affection. "And it had better not be just to try and molest me. If that's the case, then I'm leaving."

"Ah, there's that cold shoulder again!" Gokai grinned, lighting up all of a sudden. "That's what I love about you Daniel, you're so abusive to me! It's just so cute." It said, clapping it's hands together. Danny groaned in his head, knowing that his resistance only made the pink Deathbringer like him even more. He had tried not giving him any once, but it had only lasted for about five minutes. Really, there was only so much of Gokai that Danny could take before breaking down.

Needless to say, that was the day Danny learned that Gokai didn't have a gender. He'd just thought that it was some kind of weird crossdresser before. He shuddered internally, closing that door in his memories before it opened to far. There were some things in his life that Danny never, ever, wanted to remember, and most of them were about Gokai.

"Just get on with it Gokai." Danny said, growing irritated now. After the long day he had yesterday, Danny had gone to sleep almost as soon as he had gotten home. He intended to sleep all the way up until his meeting with Sam later in the day, and so he was even more annoyed that Gokai had ruined that plan. He wouldn't be able to get to sleep again, he knew.

"Fine, fine." The pink haired Deathbringer shrugged it's shoulders, still smiling at him. "I came to deliver a message, a very important message indeed!" It paused then, grinning. "Though you're right, I did in part come here to molest you." It said happily, causing Danny to shudder once more.

Danni was hanging in the background, trying to block out the words of the pink haired creature. It was a survival method really, otherwise she would have gone insane a long time ago. Compared to Gokai and even Danny, really, Danni was pretty sane. She did have her moments, though.

"There is a Reaper here!" Gokai announced, clapping it's hand together once more. "Leaving in this very city! I always thought there was one, but I only just confirmed it's presence." It put up a finger then, taking a stance like a scolding mother. "And that just will never do."

Reapers. Danny frowned. For a long time, he had thought Reapers and Deathbringers were one and the same, but Gokai had made sure that he had known they were different. Danny wasn't exactly sure what the differences were, really, as Gokai had never gone into detail, beyond saying that they were bad and wicked people. Of course, since it was Gokai that had said it, he kind of took it with a grain of salt. Gokai wasn't exactly the most trustworthy person to come to for answers, he was always manipulating them to it's own ends.

"And?" Danny asked, arching an eyebrow. "Why bring this to my attention? You're the one who is usually all gung-ho about tracking down and killing Reapers." The other thing that Danny knew about Reapers was that they weren't nearly as uncommon as Deathbringers. "I thought you would be all over something like that."

"Mm, well, yes." Gokai said, smiling, clearly remembering past kills as it spoke. "But I thought I would let you have a shot at it this time, Daniel!" It sounded excited. "All you've been doing is just blowing heads off worthless humans, and that's just such a waste of your powers. Really, Vlad will never learn the proper use of a Deathbringer, no matter how much I instruct him in the matter."

"But that is beyond the point." It said, waving a hand as if dismissing the thought. "It's time for a real challenge for you Daniel, a real threat that could actually kill you!" Gokai sounded strangely excited saying that last part. "Although she's just a low level Reaper, really, but good enough for a starting point. It's probably why I never sensed her up until now, honestly."

"Well, that and I've been far too busy." Gokai said offhand, and Danny found himself thinking that he never wanted to know what Gokai did when he wasn't bothering him. "But anyways, if you do a good job with this, maybe I could even convince old Vladdy-pants not to make you kill Valerie."

Now that was an offer that surprised Danny. Did Gokai just offer to do something _nice _for him? He couldn't help but let the surprise show on his face. "What's the catch?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Oh now, Daniel, why must there always be a catch with you?" Gokai asked, sounding upset. "Just thinking of it as a birthday present that involves murder and destruction!" It said chipperly.

"It's nowhere _near _my birthday." Danny arched an eyebrow. "And you're all _about _catches, Gokai. I have every right to be suspicious of you."

"Well then, just think of it as a wedding present!" It said happily, smiling.

"No." Danny said quickly, and bluntly, barely even letting the pink haired Deathbringer finish it's sentence. Oh god, there was a mental image that he didn't want in his head. "I am not marrying you, Gokai. Not now, not ever."

"Fu, you're no fun." Gokai pouted again. "But really, Daniel, I mean it. If you kill the Reaper and bring it's heart so that I may confirm it, I'll talk to Vlad about the whole killing Valerie deal." It said, lifting up it's hands.

Danny paused for awhile, obviously having to think about it. It sounded like a good deal, on one hand. Killing people he didn't know was kind of what he did for a living, even if it was a Reaper. If Gokai hadn't sensed it before now, it must have not been very powerful, and would probably be easy to take out. After all, Danny had plenty of experience in killing difficult people. Furthermore, he would be able to spare Valerie's life, and she was one less friend than he was willing to lose.

On the other hand, it was Gokai making the offer. Despite the Deathbringer's assurances that it was an honest offer, with no catch, Danny couldn't help but be suspicious of it. Gokai wasn't exactly known for telling the whole truth, and it was possible that it could be keeping something from him. Perhaps the Reaper was someone else he knew about and loved- maybe even Jazz.

And that of course, would be just as bad as having to kill Valerie.

Eventually, Danny heaved an annoyed sigh and stood up. "Fine, Gokai, you have a deal." He told him. "I'll start tracking the Reaper today."

"Oh good, I knew you would agree!" Gokai clapped it's hands again, smiling. "Well, then, Daniel, I must be off, sad though that it is! I'm afraid that there's this little blonde girl in Kentucky who I would absolutely love to see be hit by a bus and then mauled by a bear!" It continued to smile as it said this, as happy as ever.

Danny made a face, silently feeling bad for that blonde girl. She had no idea what was coming for her. With that, Gokai and Danni took their leave, and Danny found himself relaxing. That hadn't been as bad as he thought it would be, Gokai usually tried to molest him a lot more than that.

"A Reaper, huh?" He said out loud, looking out the window of the small room Vlad had given him. "I wonder where I should start."

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Meanwhile, Valerie Gray was busy trying to track down Danny. She had missed him at school the other day- she hadn't thought he would go, and so she hadn't gone either, instead spending the day trying to track down Danny. In the end, it had been a wasted day, as she had turned up no leads.

However, today was different. Smiling to herself as she looked at the address scrawled hastily on a scrap of paper. She wasn't too proud of how she had gotten it, but for every day that went by, she began to feel that her chances of talking to Danny before the council found out about him grew slimmer and slimmer.

She wasn't sure why she wanted to find him so badly. The council had told her about Deathbringers, that they were wicked and vile creatures who spread death to all those that surrounded them. Merciless and cruel, and clearly insane, they had no qualms about killing someone who had been their friend or lover just the day before. They couldn't be allowed to exist.

But Danny, Danny didn't seem that way, Valerie had thought. She knew Danny. She had been friends with him for a long time now, and he wasn't like that. He had a little bit of a temper, sure, but he was hardly a deranged killer. Besides, Valerie thought, there were supposed to be two other Deathbringers around. How did she know that Danny was the one who was the cause of all of the deaths?

Of course, his numerous absences without explanation didn't exactly work in his favor, but Valerie thought she should at least talk to him about it before she made her choice. If he really was like that, and was just keeping his true nature a secret, then she would let the council know about him. If he wasn't...

There must have been some way to protect him from them, she thought.

Valerie brought her vespa to a stop outside of the office building. She frowned, looking up at the skyscraper, wondering what Vlad was thinking making his son move into a place where people worked. She'd never really had a great impression of the man, he always kind of came off to her as a bit of a prick.

"Let's see," Valerie said, looking at the floor and room number on the piece of paper. "Eighth floor, room number 809." She said, getting off her vespa and parking it. She made her way in, and located the elevators. Of course, the biggest challenge was finding a way to bring the topic up. I mean, it wasn't like she could just go up to him and tell him flat out that she was a Reaper, could she?

That might be why she wasn't very mad at him for lying, she thought. She had been lying to him as well. Being upset about it would be downright hypocritical of her. The elevator had come then, and Valerie got on it, pressing the button for the eighth floor. As the doors to her elevator closed, the doors to the one next to her opened, letting off Gokai and Danni, the three of them just missing each other.

She hummed to herself a little as she waited for her stop, some of the people who got on after her giving her odd looks. She smiled a little bit at them, trying very hard not to look suspicious, but failed miserably at it. She was rather pleased when the elevator got to her stop, getting off as quickly as possible. "I think that was quite possibly the most tense elevator ride I've ever been on. And I here I only thought those happened in movies."

Looking around, she spotted a sign directing people towards the differently numbered sections. Spotting the one with Danny's room in it, she headed down it, and easily found his room. She was about to knock on the door when it opened and Danny came out, and so she ended up hitting him on the head instead.

"Danny!" She sounded surprised, quickly pulling away her hand. "I'm sorry, are you alright?" She asked sounding worried. "I didn't expect you to just come out like that!"

"Ah." Danny rubbed his head, glancing down at Valerie. "Well, I didn't expect to see you here, either." He remarked, hoping that she hadn't run into Gokai and Danni on her way up here. "Um, what brings you here?" He asked, then paused, arching an eyebrow. "Wait, how did you even know where I was?"

Honestly, Danny had been kind of wanting to avoid Valerie until the whole issue of him having to kill her blew over, but if he tried to escape her now, she might get suspicious.

"Um, I asked one of your maids." Valerie told him. _With my fist._ She added in her head. To be fair, it was that haughty maid from before. She had it coming to her, she figured. "She told me I could find you here. Anyways, Danny, I've got some things I want to talk to you about. Could we go back inside?" She asked. "I would kind of like some privacy."

Danny paused for a moment, then nodded, stepping back inside, letting Valerie in. "Make yourself at home." He told her.

"Ah, thank you." Valerie ducked in, pausing to take a look at the room. Geez, but it was small. How did Vlad expect Danny to live in here anyways? He really was a prick. Not to mention that there wasn't even a bed in the room. Of course, now wasn't really the time for that, and so she found herself a chair, sitting down in it.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Danny asked, leaning against his bookshelf.

Valerie paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to phrase her next question. "Danny." She began, looking up at him. "What do you know about Deathbringers?"


End file.
